


'Till I see stars in my eyes

by foolforever89



Category: Glee
Genre: A/U, Broadway Rachel, Charming Quinn, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Faberry, Faberry in New York, Femslash, Fluff, Mysterious Quinn, Older!Faberry, One Night Stands, Random Encounters, Romance, alternative universe, mature content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:49:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28966371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolforever89/pseuds/foolforever89
Summary: 'She is not really familiar with waking up with strangers in her bed. An attractive naked stranger that has taken her for hours, until she has begged to stop and catch her breath. Until she has succumbed to the tiredness of their activities, with the blonde beside her. Close enough to feel her proximity. Far enough not to feel crowded.' - an accidental encounter with a mysterious blonde turns Rachel's life upside down.
Relationships: Mike Chang/Tina Cohen-Chang, Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 47
Kudos: 159





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have read fanfictions for a while and when I got this idea, I thought of putting it down in words. Let me know your thoughts or comments.

**'Till I see stars in my eyes**

_Part 1_

Clubs aren't her thing. She hates the dark lights and the loud music hurting her ear. She hates the way people act when there is too much alcohol - or even something else - in their system. She hates that she has to try twice harder to keep unwanted attention off her or turn men down, who just think she needs a drunk man to make her night.

"What's your name?" As predicted, a new anonymous man - in his damp suit and messy hair - slurs from the stool beside where she stands. He leans over, trying to get her to look at him but she just avoids him, trying to locate her friends in the mass of people standing on the dance floor or sitting in the booths around it. "Hey, I am talking to you. What's your name, baby?"

"Not interested." Rachel turns away from him, meeting a pair of hazel eyes across the room. It is odd how she manages to catch a glimpse of the color of her eyes through the neon lights, but they're simply mesmerizing.

"Hey! I am talking to you!" A hand reaches for her wrist, forcing her to turn back towards him who is now standing and towering over her. Despite her heels, she could never match his height nor escape his stronger grip.

"Let me go, now." She tries to pull away from his grip, but he is now standing closer and she can smell the alcohol on his breath.

"One drink, maybe one dance too…" He leans in and she takes a step back, but the counter is against her back and she has nowhere else to go.

"I think she told you to let her go, man." A third voice is loud enough to be heard by them. Rachel catches a glimpse of those same eyes, darkened with rage and the hands balled in fists at her sides. "You should let her go, now."

"Listen, girl…" The man turns to look at her and his frown turns into a smirk. "Hi, aren't you a pretty thing?" He drops Rachel's hand to take a step closer to the blonde, who doesn't falter and stands her ground. "Why don't you and your friend here come home with me? I am sure I can entertain you both."

"I really doubt you'll manage to satisfy one of us, let alone two." She scoffs and discretely reaches for Rachel's hand, tugging her from behind him so she can slip behind her. "Go home and get some rest, you need it." She nods at Rachel and starts leading her away from him, but he has different ideas. He reaches for the blonde and grabs her by her free hand, pulling her away from the brunette.

"You don't walk away from me, got it?" He tries to grab her by the waist but she is quicker and within a bunch of seconds, he finds himself pressed against the counter, face against it, with his arm twisted behind his back. "Let me go, bitch."

"Sorry, what did you just say?" She hovers behind him, keeping him pressed against the counter. "I don't think I've heard you properly."

"Let me go. I got it okay, let me fucking go." He groans, cheek rubbing against the rough counter.

"Good boy, now get out of my sight." She pushes him forward once more, before releasing him from her tight grip.

"Psycho bitch." He fixes his rumpled suit and grabs his drink, to move the fastest away from where they stand.

"You're alright there?" The blonde turns to Rachel who has witnessed everything, without doing really much about it.

"I'm fine, thank you." Rachel is still slightly shaken by the events but she is not sure why her heart is still beating so fast. She wonders if it's because of the guy or it's because of the girl standing there, with darkened eyes and a face of an angel.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" She gets closer, so she can hear the softer tone of her voice.

"No, he just grabbed my hand." She looks down at her wrist, still aching but not really bruising.

"Let me see." She takes it gently, running her thumb over the tattoo she has marked herself with, for her 21st birthday. "I don't think it will bruise." She caresses it with her thumb and looks up at the brunette, who is staring at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Can I offer you a drink? To thank you for coming to my rescue." She nods to the bar behind them.

"Sure, let's get something to drink." She drops her hand and Rachel already misses her gentle touch. "I'm Rachel." She touches her elbow, to catch her attention as they move towards the bar.

"Quinn." The blonde smiles at her and finds an empty spot, where they can chat and be on their own, without any further intrusion.

"I'll get a beer, what do you want to drink?" She leans over the counter to catch the bartender's attention.

"Gin Tonic is fine." She nods to the blonde who places their order with the guy behind the counter, as blonde as she is.

"What do you do here in New York? Are you studying?" She leaves a 20$ on the counter for the bartender and uncaps her beer bottle with ease. She twists it in her palm and throws the metal cap in the bin behind the counter.

"No. I graduated a few years ago and I am working on Broadway." Rachel plays with the olive in her glass and looks at her, expecting to find the usual bored look. "I landed my first role as a lead with this new show."

"That sounds great." Quinn sips from her beer and leans closer to hear her and be heard. "What's the name of the show?"

"Spring Awakening." Rachel sips from her glass and turns around to catch her supposedly friends somewhere.

"If I bore you, you can leave you know?" Quinn chuckles. "You're not my prisoner."

"I was supposed to meet my friends here." She shouts a little louder than she has intended to. "I give up, though. Are you here with someone else?"

"Not really." Quinn shakes her head and finishes her beer with one long gulp.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Rachel finishes hers and reaches out with her hand. She holds it mid-air and when Quinn takes it, she just leads them out of there.

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

"My ears hurt." She rubs them slowly, as they walk down the street and away from the club.

"That's because you're used to the good music. That thing is only some disturbing noise to encourage drinking and bad choices." Quinn kicks a small rock with her shoe and looks at the brunette with a smile. "You've always lived here? In New York, I mean."

"I wish. I was born and raised in a small town in Ohio, but I've always wanted to move here from what I remember." Rachel smiles at the memory. "There's no place like this city."

"I agree. It has a lot to offer." She nods and looks up above their heads, to the clear sky. "You can be everything you want to be here and that's what freedom feels like."

"Like the naked cowboy in Times Square?" She chuckles and stops at the crossroad, caught by the lights coming from their right. Times Square was so bright even at 1 AM.

"Yes. Exactly like that." Quinn turns to stare at the hordes of people gathered on the stairs. Some taking pictures, some simply resting their feet.

"Are you hungry? I could eat some." Rachel turns them the opposite way, walking the familiar streets to her neighborhood.

"You know the area well? You live around here?" Quinn follows her. She falls into steps with her, hands at her sides and brushing whenever they step in closer, to avoid a street lamp or letting someone else walk past them.

"Just two blocks away, within walking distance from the theater." Rachel nods softly and stops in front of a bakery. "I moved in there three years ago and never left it. Rent is blocked and it's safe enough."

"That's pure luck." Quinn smiles and looks at her. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Do you want to get a slice of strawberry cheesecake? It's too late to eat it here but we can…" She nods to their whereabouts.

"Take it home, to your place maybe?" Quinn smirks suggestively.

"If you want to. We can have a cup of tea or something stronger and eat it, on my couch." Rachel blushes and looks away from her knowing smirk.

"You better be right about this cake." She walks inside the shop, with a renewed confidence and with the brunette on her tails.

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

"Alright, alright. Gotta give it to you, it's one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tasted in my whole life." Quinn leans back into the couch, licking her lips clean.

"Told you." Rachel finishes her plate and sits it on the coffee table, beside Quinn's. "I am never mistaken."

"Modest aren't we? So, what else do you want to share with the class?" Quinn leans her head on her hand and looks at the brunette, sitting sideways on the couch.

"I am just saying I was right. I usually am." Rachel mirrors her pose and stares at her. "What's your story?"

"My story?" Quinn smiles softly, arm stretched over the back of the couch.

"You know who I am and where I come from. What's your story?" She stretches her arm over Quinn's, fingers tracing her upper arm.

"I come…" She furrows her brows. "I come from a suburban town upstate, I moved here six months ago because I needed a change of scenery. A fresh start, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Leaving Lima felt the same, I needed a fresh start to focus on my dreams. I couldn't hold onto those anchors anymore." Rachel trails her fingers along her arm.

"Anchors like ex-boyfriends or girlfriends?" Lifting her arm, her knuckles brushed along the side of her face, watching her eyes flutter closed.

"My ex-boyfriend, yes." Rachel opens her eyes when she feels Quinn scoot closer, knees brushing and a foot locking around her ankle.

"Is there anyone in your life?" Quinn's fingers brush her hair back, to expose her neck to a gentle mouth.

"Not for a while." Rachel tilts her head back to leave her more room. To let her kiss more skin or find new spots to nuzzle against. "You?"

"It's complicated, but technically no one." Her hand drops on her side, tugging at the fabric of the dress she wore to get closer.

"And non-technically?" Rachel tilts her head back to stare down into her dark eyes.

"Still no one." Quinn leans in to breathe against her parted mouth. She leans in to brush her lips over hers, touching them enough to make Rachel whimper when she pulls back, teasingly.

"Do you…" Rachel sighs in her lips and tangles her hands in her hair. She tilts Quinn's head to the right and attacks her with her mouth, seeking for her. "Do you want to move this to my bedroom?" She nibbles on Quinn's bottom lip.

She feels the effect she has on Quinn against her side. She feels it in the way she is clinging to her dress, leaving half moon shaped marks on her skin.

"Later. I don't want you to go anywhere." She pushes her back enough to lay her down and settle between her legs, dress bunched over her waist.

Rachel feels like in one of those movies she has stumbled upon, in her last girlfriend's browser history.

She has watched more than she has ever done with her, but it was enough to make her want to play those scenes with the blonde woman on top of her.

"You're sure about this?" Quinn breathes hotly against her ear. Her fingers are against the elastic of her panties, ready to tug them off after her approval.

"Yes. Yes, please." Rachel nips at her earlobe and slides her hands down the back of her jeans, to get under all her clothes. With one squeeze against her backside, she feels her panties being ripped unceremoniously off.

"You're drenched." Quinn replaces her knee with her palm. The blonde rubs her core slowly and she just squeezes the ass in her hands. She scratches that pale skin, confined under tight jeans, and feels Quinn's fingers move, exploring her sex with curiosity.

"You're overdressed." Rachel slides her hands up her back to the hem of her shirt and tugs it off her, baring her upper body to her eyes and her hands.

"You're overdressed now." Quinn chuckles, dropping her hand back between her thighs so she can resume her lingering touches.

"Not where I need it the most." Rachel nods towards the apex of her thighs and pulls at her dress, revealing more of her skin.

"Can I?" Quinn slides down to her knees and pulls her to the edge of the couch, both legs draped over her shoulders.

"You…" Rachel's head lolls back against the back of the couch as soon as her hot breath brushes over her damp thighs. "Yes, please."

"Aren't you the polite one?" Quinn smirks up at her and then leans forward, pressing a feather like kiss against the skin below her navel. "Here?"

"Lower." Rachel's hand drops to her head and she pushes her down. She pushes her lower until she can feel her breath against her wet lips.

"What a wonderful smile." She chuckles and her tongue dips where she needs it the most. She swirls it around and caresses her slowly, her touch is hot but it feels like a bucket of ice on a hot summer day.

It gives Rachel a relief she desperately needs and yet, she craves more.

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

She is not really familiar with waking up with strangers in her bed. An attractive naked stranger that has taken her for hours, until she has begged to stop and catch her breath.

Until she has succumbed to the tiredness of their activities, with the blonde beside her. Close enough to feel her proximity. Far enough not to feel crowded.

Turning her head, to stretch her neck and find another way to settle down for more rest, she is drawn by her bedmate.

She is lying there, one arm bent behind her head and the other over her stomach, holding the sheet over her waist

She is lying there, stretched like one of those statues that she has admired for years. Like one of those statues made of alabaster, with muscles tensing and a plastic immobility that have always left her speechless.

She can't help but lean over and trail her finger along the side of her exposed neck. She follows the vein from her ear down to the base of her collarbone.

She traces it with her eyes and the pad of her finger. It's like a feather touch. Like a brush on a canva. On a perfect immaculate canva that she can't wait to explore.

She expects to startle her. She expects her to move away from her, but Quinn lies still. She lies still, gaze lost out of the window to catch a glimpse of the sun rising over New York. She keeps staring outside, while Rachel keeps staring at her.

"Can't sleep?" Rachel's hand slides down to rest against her shoulder, where she settles her cheek to follow her gaze outside the window. Sunrises in New York were her favorite.

"Yeah." Quinn nods. Her arm slides further up to graze along her exposed side with the back of her hand. It is a gentle caress compared to all the heavy touches they have shared all night long.

"I thought I had worn you out." She chuckles and kisses her chest, nuzzling the golden chain with the tip of her nose.

"You have." Quinn's fingertips find the tattoo on the side of her ribcage. She touches her with reverence. Reading with her touch, rather than with her eyes.

"You're here, but you feel miles away." Rachel's fingers reach behind her ear, tucking her hair back to see a small mark at the base of her earlobe. Three letters, entwined together. "L Q F."

"What?" Quinn's head turns so abruptly that she worries about a whiplash.

"I read it here." She touches the skin with her forefinger. "What does it mean?"

"Nothing." Quinn takes her hand. She takes her palm and brings it to her lips, kissing her love line. "I should get out of your hair."

"I am not kicking you out." Rachel uses her momentum to cup the side of her face and lean up to brush their lips for a tender kiss. She has never kissed a one night stand so softly. But Quinn is not just that. She is a puzzle she wants to put together.

"I know." Curling on her side, her arm slips around her waist and with ease, she pulls Rachel across the mattress and on top of her, between her thighs.

"You're strong." She braces herself against her shoulders, to be able to stare down into her eyes.

"You're not that heavy." The familiar smirk shows up on her face and Rachel's certainties falter. Quinn smirks and Rachel is lost in that smile.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Rachel stretches like a cat against her. She makes sure to stretch slowly enough to feel every inch of Quinn press into her, without the slickness of sweat facilitating it. It is skin on skin. Chest to chest. Hips to hips.

"Not really, no." Quinn meets her halfway. She leans in when Rachel leans down, to breathe against her mouth and let her feel every word. Every intake of her breath.

"So, you're all mine." Rachel grabs her hands and stretches their arms above their heads. With nothing to brace against, she drops fully against the blonde who whimpers with her. She whimpers when their hips roll slowly, almost on their own.

"Apparently." Quinn licks her bottom lip and then nibbles on it. She alternates light touching with a hungry nipping, that makes Rachel settle more against her. She presses her hard into the mattress.

"Fuck." She crashes her mouth over Quinn, stretching their arms out on the mattress, while their bodies find their way back against each other.

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Quinn leans against the counter, ankles crossed and the usual smirk that unnerves and, at the same time, makes Rachel's heat pool in her lower regions. She watches her with fake disinterest, while she has her hands soapy and wet from washing the remnants of breakfast off plates.

"It's a sink, never saw one before?" She is tempted to spray her with water but it will just make things worse. Mostly for her.

"Not really. Are pretty brunettes included in the package?" She hands her a towel and pushes herself off the counter, when Rachel rolls her eyes and starts walking away from her.

"You can tone the charme down, I already slept with you didn't I?" Rachel fixes the magazines on the coffee table, mindful not to linger too much on the couch where she has come so quickly, that the Mailman didn't work.

"What does a girl need to do to get your number, then?" Quinn leans over the back of the couch, staring at the woman moving around to fix the mess they have made the night before.

"What makes you think I will give you my number?" Rachel stands there, arms crossed over her chest and clad in a long NYADA shirt that reaches past her knees.

She jumps over the back of the couch and lands perfectly in front of the brunette. The usual smirk gets even wider at her obvious reaction. "That's why."

"Arrogance won't get you anywhere with me, Quinn." Rachel tries to move past her but she finds herself in the circle of the blonde's arms, with her hands trapped between their bodies in a grip that she can escape but she doesn't really want to.

"Gotcha." Quinn's lips whisper the word in her ear. The same lips kiss the shape of her ear, while familiar fingers slide along her back to disappear under the hem of her shirt.

"Quinn." Rachel pulls back to stare at the blonde. Her hands trail along her chest, fisting the collar of the shirt she has worn the night before. It is so soft. The fabric feels expensive under her touch.

"Rachel." Quinn leans tentatively in to touch her forehead with hers. She brushes the tip of their noses together, until they tilt their heads the opposite way to meet halfway.

Rachel kisses her hard. She fists her shirt and kisses her harder. She kisses her like she is expecting this to never end. Like she wants to drag her back to her bedroom and claim her for hours, until the world comes to an end around them.

"Say your number." Quinn breathes hard into her mouth. She breathes in, like her lungs have no more oxygen to sustain her.

"But…" Rachel can find a piece of paper or just her phone. She just can make sure she gets all the numbers punched in, so they can see each other again. "212-201-63."

"I'll call you." Quinn extricates herself from her arms and heads for the door, leaving her flustered and aching for a repeat performance of their night together. "See you, Broadway." She walks out of the door and Rachel stands there, still wondering what the fuck has just happened.

**to be continued - comments and thoughts?**


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hopes for a higher number of feedbacks, but I guess the fic wasn't as interesting as I thought you'd find it. 
> 
> Enjoy the Part 2

**PART 2**

“So, let me get this straight.” Tina steals a fry from her plate and dips it in her sauce. “You went home with this hot mysterious girl, who totally rocked your world and you didn’t get her number? What’s wrong with you?” 

“I didn’t ask her. She wanted mine and I just…” Rachel groans, hands over her face. “I am such an idiot.”

“Well she has yours right? She’ll call you.” Tina shrugs and pats her forearm with her clean hand. 

“If she remembers that.” She groans under her breath. 

“What did you say?” Tina leans closer and stares at the brunette. 

“She has my number. But she did this sort of charming thing where I said it and she is supposed to remember that.” Rachel chuckles. “What are the chances to see her again?”

“So, you want to see her again? It’s not a one time thing?” Tina smiles softly. 

“I don’t know…” Rachel looks down at her half-eaten plate. “It was great but we talked and we strolled around New York.” 

“It sounds nice.” Tina smiles encouragingly. “You can always go back to the club and see if the bartender or someone else knows her. Ask around, right?”

“It’s New York, Tina. We went to clubs once because we didn’t remember how to get there again.” She sighs and looks down at her silent phone. 

“That’s true. Well, we can find a way. I can help or maybe we can ask Mike.” She covers her hand with hers. 

“I really hope she is not in one of Mike’s databases. A criminal? As romantic as it may sound in movies or books, they’re not my thing.” Rachel shakes her head. 

“I didn’t mean it like that, but maybe he can give us a hint or two about finding her.” Tina chuckles. “Was she hot?”

“Incredibly. Like she came out straight from a Vogue number, with those eyes and perfect face.” She should have taken a picture, but how without coming out as a stalker? 

“You totally got it bad for her. Maybe too much?” Tina keeps her hand over Rachel’s. “I don’t want to see you hurt over someone who might not even want what you do. It’s never just sex for you.” 

“I am such an idiot. Why do I always do this to myself? I should know better.” Rachel drops her head against the table and Tina pats it gently. 

“You cannot help it and that’s who you are. I wouldn’t change anything about it.” Tina pulls her in a hug and holds her a little longer. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Putting her fluffy pj on for a binge watching of her new favorite show is not helping really. She reclines back against the couch, wrapped around one of her fluffiest pillows, but her mind is drawn back to what she has done on it just a week ago. 

How she has arched off its cushions, to get closer to the blonde moving expertly between her legs. How she has felt the warm leather rub against her front when Quinn took her from behind, pressed up into her back moaning into her ear. 

She cannot lie there without going back to that night and those memories just create an ache between her legs that she should attend to. She could just dip her hand under the elastic of those pants to take herself. She could just retake every step Quinn took with her. She could…

*Ring* 

Groaning, she stretches her hand into the empty air until she grabs a hold of her iPhone vibrating on her coffee table. She presses the green button without even checking the caller id. She answers out of frustration and places it against her ear, to welcome the other caller with a disapproving groan masked under a simple ‘Hello’. 

‘Am I interrupting something, Broadway?’

It takes her less than a second to register who is on the other line. Even less to feel the elation replace the frustration of having been interrupted, by none but the girl of her secret fantasies. 

“No. You are not.” Rachel breathes out in relief. So, she has called her in the end. 

‘What are you up to? Partying hard with your Broadway companions?’ She chuckles on the other end and Rachel can almost see the smirk on her face. That perfect smirk that haunted her dreams. 

“You have no idea. You know that new thing, the silent disco? Well, I am doing that silent thing on my own without the headphones on.” She chuckles at herself. She is being lame but maybe Quinn won’t notice. 

‘Sounds like fun. Any room for one more?’ She hints suggestively and Rachel sits up. The house is not a complete mess, even if she is sure Quinn doesn’t really mind. 

“We can squeeze in fine.” Rachel stands up to head to the bedroom and change into something more appropriate, but she has to stop midway when the knock happens. “Are you on my doorstep?”

‘One way to find out, Broadway.’ She quits the call and Rachel goes for the door. She stretches on her tiptoes and squints her eye, catching a familiar blonde on her doormat. 

“Hey.” She rushes with the locks, until she is leaning against the doorway - in a sort of sultry way - and stares at Quinn. 

“Cheesecake?” She holds the box in front of her. 

“Where did you get that?” She moves aside to let her in and Quinn finds her way back to the familiar couch. 

“Someone left it on your neighbor’s mat.” She chuckles, pushing the jacket off her shoulders, letting it pool around her waist.

“You stole that?” Rachel locks the door with the same rush, hoping no one has seen anything.

“From the amount of mail piled on that doormat, I assumed they must have been away. We can’t let it go to waste.” She opens the lid and grabs a fork from the set inside, cutting a piece. 

“Put it down. I mean it.” She advances on the blonde, who stands with the fork in one hand and the other arm out, to keep her at a safe distance.. 

“Stay there and no one will get hurt.” Quinn says in a mockingly serious tone. She talks like in one of those crime shows she loves watching. 

“It’s a pie, Quinn.” Rachel laughs at her antics and when Quinn drops her guard, she is quick to wrap her mouth around the fork to steal her bite. 

“I told you not to move!” Quinn is shocked by her boldness. She has her hand up in the air, holding a now empty fork. 

“It’s delicious. Forbidden fruits are the juiciest.” Rachel licks the crumbs off her bottom lip. 

“I cannot really say, you know?” She rolls her eyes. 

“Oh you can.” She steps up into her personal space and leans up, brushing her tongue over the seam of her lips. 

“Mmm.” Quinn pulls her closer by the back of her head, opening her mouth to taste the cheese cream off her lips and tongue. “Can I tell you a secret?” 

“Yes.” She burrows herself closer, hands sliding up the back of Quinn’s shirt to dig her nails into her back.

“I bought it from that bakery you showed me.” She throws the fork back into the cardboard box and draws her in, hands each side of her neck. 

“Jerk.” Rachel chuckles against her lips. She pulls her closer and pushes more against her toes, leaning into the blonde in front of her. 

“The bedroom is that way right?” Quinn turns them to the right, backing the brunette towards it. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

“You never told me what you do for a living.” Rachel is wrapped in the bedsheet, perched on her elbows, and looks down at Quinn, who lies in the middle of the bed, completely nude. 

“You never asked.” Quinn tilts her head back to stare up at her. Her fingers brush along the side of her forearm, caressing it slowly. 

“I am asking now.” She leans down to nuzzle her nose behind her ear. She kisses the three letters tattooed there and sighs, when Quinn’s arm pulls her closer.

“I work in a bookstore. It’s a part time thing, helping a friend out.” She kisses her cheek and down her jawline, tugging at the hem of her blanket with her free hand. 

“Just that?” She lets her divest her off the blanket. She lets Quinn roll her on her back and slip between her thighs, accommodating her weight over her prone form. 

“Isn’t it enough? I don’t need a glamorous life to be happy.” Quinn dips her head down to leave a wet kiss against her pulse. “I don’t like the spotlight.” 

“You don’t?” Rachel grips her by the back of her head, keeping her there when her thighs are pushed apart and two fingers slide in, curling inside of her. 

“Never liked it.” Quinn switches to the other side of her neck, pumping steadily in and out. 

“With your face…” Rachel scratches along her back to the top of her ass. She leaves angry marks behind while her core throbs once again. 

“What about my face?” She pulls back to stare down at the brunette writhing under her. 

“Quinn…” Rachel whines when she stops. 

“What about my face, Rachel?” She pulls out. Her hands rest each side of the brunette’s head, who is humping her lower stomach now. 

“You’re breathtaking. The cameras would love you.” Rachel’s nails push into her lower back to move their hips together, to find a sort of solace against her core. 

“Oh. Okay.” Quinn nods and resumes her touches. She slides back insider her and drops her forehead against the side of her neck, panting hard at the feeling of Rachel’s thigh under her. 

“More.” Rachel whines. She reaches out with her hand to her nightstand. She misses it completely the first time. She does it again, brushing against the knob but she has not a good grip. Not when Quinn curls inside of her. She tries again and she finds what she has been looking for, in the past minutes. 

“What’s that?” Quinn sees the box. She checks again when Rachel gets the harness out. It’s pink. “What kind of color is that?”

“It’s my favorite, ok? Now, put it on and fuck me.” She pushes the toy in her chest, smirking at her lost look. 

“We’re bossy.” Quinn rubs her clit on her way out and kneels between her legs, to fasten it around her hips and thighs. 

“You think, huh?” She sits up and looks up into her eyes. She holds her gaze when her hand wraps around the silicone, tugging it forwards and then back, to rub her from the other side. 

“You used it before?” She looks down at herself and then back to the brunette. 

“No. It’s my secret Santa.” Rachel tugs once more and then rolls on her stomach, offering herself to Quinn. Trusting Quinn fully. 

“What did you give back? A pair of handcuffs?” Quinn’s lips brush over the mark on her shoulder and up to her ear, nibbling on it from behind when her hips fall against her backside, grinding against her.

“Funny.” Rachel arches off the mattress enough to feel her slip all the way in, filling her up like she hasn’t for years. “God.” She grips the sheets and drops her forehead against the pillow. 

“It’s Quinn.” Quinn smirks. Her hands wrap themselves around her wrists and she holds her there, stretched under her, while she rolls her hips back and forth. It comes almost natural.

“How are you so good at this?” Rachel moans, taking each thrust with one of her own. She takes each pump in, with a movement of her hips that just brings her more pleasure. 

“Natural talent, I guess.” Quinn nibbles on her earlobe. “Or I am particularly inspired.” 

“You never tone the charme down, don’t you?” Rachel looks at her over shoulder. The sigh takes her breath away and makes her clench hard. Flustered with exertion, her eyes have darkened so much that she can barely see the golden freckles. But they are there and with that smirk on, she thinks she can fall in love in the spot. 

“What?” Quinn leans in, kissing her to bring her out of her daydream.

“Nothing. Don’t stop.” Rachel shakes the thoughts away and just pulls her closer. She catches her lips at an odd angle, but it is not a clean kiss she goes for. She needs teeth and lips. She needs her tongue pushing in like her fake dick is. 

“Mmm.” Quinn’s arm sneaks under her belly. Her hand slides lower to find her sensitive nub and tug at it, while she moves inside her from behind. While she rams in and out. 

“Please.” Rachel has to breathe. She has to pull from her lips, to moan out in great pleasure. She has to pull to be able to breathe without getting lost in those lips and forget she needs oxygen, as much as she needs Quinn’s touch. 

“You feel so good.” Quinn’s forehead drops to her shoulder. Her teeth graze the musical note on her shoulder, while her palm slaps her nub in time with her thrusts. 

“Quinn…” Rachel arches in a perfect bow under her. She rubs herself against her fingers and the bedsheets. She rubs herself against everything that can help her find solace. 

“Come for me.” Quinn bites down on her shoulder. She licks the mark with the tip of her tongue, feeling the brunette writhe under her. 

“Quinn.” Her name is on her lips. Her name is the only thing her clouded mind can think of. The only sound she can make, while tumbling off the edge. 

“Mm God.” Quinn moves faster against her. Rachel can barely register the way blonde is pounding into her, chasing after her own release. 

“Holy shit.” Rachel drops forward. Her face presses down into the mattress and her arm hangs off the edge of the mattress, slapping the air. 

“You can say that.” Quinn slips out of her and falls beside her, holding onto the hem of the blanket to cover her nudity. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

She doesn’t realize she has fallen asleep, until she comes out of her confused state, blinking slowly and trying to remember what has led her there. Memories of the night before come to her mind. She connects the dots like in a puzzle and once done, she looks to her right to find her solution there. She turns but she finds it gone. 

She is alone in her bed. She is alone in a bed that smells like her and like someone else. It smells like an intimacy she has missed for so long and that she wants to keep holding on. 

Her palm slides along the mattress, almost too carefully, but she doesn’t want to settle for disappointment. She doesn’t but she prepares herself to know that she’s been left behind. That Quinn has come and gone, equally fast, because she is not there to stay.

“You’re up.” She is wrong after all. Rachel looks towards the door and sees her standing there. She stands there, clad in the shirt she had worn earlier and nothing else. 

“You’re eating my cheesecake.” Rachel sits up against the headboard, wrapped in the blanket - that needs a changing and thorough washing - and brings her knees to her chest. 

“I bought it. So, it is mine.” Quinn pushes herself off the door and holds the plate in her hand, as she approaches the side of the bed where Rachel is, to sit on the edge the closest to her. 

“I still want to see that receipt.” Rachel scoots closer, throwing one of her legs over the girl’s lap and the other circles her back, trapping her in a human scissor. 

“You wound me. You don’t believe me?” She holds the fork up and moves it towards her mouth, this time she feeds her voluntarily. 

“Nope.” Rachel licks the creamy stuffing off her lip. 

“I can be the Chandler to your Rachel.” Quinn digs her fork in for a bite myself. 

“Monica, you mean?” She dips her finger into the plate, to scoop some of the crunchy crumbs. 

“Didn’t Chandler and Rachel steal a cheesecake or something? Maybe a couple.” Quinn sits the plate on the nightstand and brings her hands to the girl’s leg, massaging her calf. 

“You’re right.” Rachel stretches her leg when her fingers dig into her sore muscles. 

“You should recline and relax.” Quinn leans down to kiss her kneecap. Rachel feels those eyes glide over her like those fingers have done, all night long. It is a gaze so charged that she needs to remember how to breathe. 

“Easy to say.” Rachel goes along with it. She reclines back against the headboard and bends her other leg, the one not in Quinn’s lap.

“Easy to accomplish.” She massages her calf slowly. She digs her fingers in it, working the tension off it. 

“Come here.” Rachel nudges her with her heel against her hip. She kicks her lightly until the blonde gets the hint and crawls over her. She leverages on her hands and knees to hover her, with the familiar smirk on and eyes that are divesting her off the blanket she is wrapped in. 

“Like this?” Quinn breathes against her lips. She kisses her lightly and pulls back, before she can even kiss back. 

“Closer.” Rachel’s hands move between their bodies to undo the buttons of the shirt she is wearing. She drops her eyes to see more of her creamy skin being revealed to her, button after button. 

“Why am I always underdressed around you?” Quinn chuckles when the last button is popped open and her eager hands trail down her tensing abs to her hips and back. 

“I don’t know.” Rachel trails her fingertips along her sternum. “But I don’t mind that one bit.” She grips the cross hanging from around her neck, holding it in her palm. “This cross looks so rare.”

“It’s a family thing.” Quinn looks down at it and then back up at Rachel, who plays with it. “I can’t take it off.” 

“It is beautiful.” Rachel’s hand trails along her throat to pull her in for a soft kiss. “Like you.” 

“Are you always like this with your one night partners?” Quinn follows along and reclines against her. She rests against her, arm circling her waist and the other bracing herself against the mattress. 

“I usually don’t have one night stands.” Rachel slides further down on the bed, leg locking around Quinn’s waist and fingers holding onto her cross. 

“So, I am your exception.” Quinn leans in to nuzzle the juts of her collarbone. She nuzzles it with her nose and then with her lips. 

“Yes.” Rachel’s head rolls back against the pillows. She leans further into the softness of her bed, while Quinn scales down her front. 

While she scales down and drags the blanket with her, to discover what lies beneath like it’s the first time. Like she hasn’t spent hours touching her. Like she hasn’t spent hours mapping every dip and path, like an explorer with a new territory. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

“Rachel?” Quinn’s voice is soft but it still wakes her up from her sex induced sleep. 

“Mhmm?” She rolls towards her, arm stretched to find her body but she meets nothing, again. She finds the warmth she has left behind, but no Quinn. The feeling of warm emptiness gets her to open her eyes, until she stares up at the blonde, dressed by the other side of the bed. “What time is it?”

“Early. I need you to lock the door after me.” Quinn leans over to brush her tousled hair back, showing her relaxed features. 

“You can stay.” Rachel yawns and rolls over. Her hand finds the hem of her buttoned up shirt and she tugs her by it. She tries again, but Quinn stays there. 

“I can’t. I have to be at the shop in a couple of hours.” Quinn pulls her hand away with a kiss on her knuckles and walks out of the bedroom, hoping the brunette will just follow. 

Rachel groans in displeasure, but she slips out of the bedsheets and fetches the robe by the foot of the bed, throwing it on without too much care. When she enters the living room, she finds Quinn slipping her boots on by the door. 

“Hey.” Rachel clears her throat. She needs a double tea with extra honey to work that ache out. 

“Hey.” Quinn stands to full height. She has gained a couple of more inches on her but she is not towering over her like most of her ex-boyfriends. She is the right height to lean down to kiss her or tuck her in, under her chin.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” Rachel nods to her open kitchen. 

“I’ll grab one on my way to work. A good long shower will help too.” Quinn smiles and meets her halfway. “Sorry, I just want to be sure your door closes fine after me.”

“It’s okay.” She keeps her arms crossed over her chest. She doesn’t want to reach out or she will end up begging Quinn to stay. 

“Well, this is me going.” Quinn nods softly. She says it but she doesn’t really move. She stands there, looking down at Rachel clad in her short robe that barely keeps her body covered. The familiar body she has touched and explored for hours. 

“Not keeping you.” Rachel chuckles when she doesn’t make a move. 

“Right.” Quinn chuckles too and leans down. She leans down, slowly, until her lips brush the angle of Rachel’s mouth. “Bye.” 

“Quinn…” Rachel can’t help herself. She grips the back of Quinn’s head and tilts hers to catch her lips fully. They kiss slowly in the middle of her living room, like they have done it for years. 

“I knew you’d cave in.” Quinn’s arms slide around her waist and pull her closer. Her hands bunch the fabric of her robe, hard enough to lift it dangerously high over the back of her thighs. 

“Smartass.” Rachel stands on her tiptoes and her hands hold onto her shoulders for support. “Are you free tonight?”

“I will have to check my very busy calendar.” Quinn smirks and drops her hands lower, slipping under the hem of her robe to grab her by the backside. 

“You’re busy groping me?” Rachel looks over her own shoulder to watch her. 

“What were you trying to propose?” Quinn squeezes her asscheeks and hovers her lips with her own. 

“A late dinner, after my show.” Rachel’s fingers play with the chain around her neck. They trace it down to her pendant and back up, tickling Quinn. 

“Okay. I’ll pick you up.” Quinn nods with one last squeeze. She lets her go and as soon as she does, Rachel goes back to her feet, re-establishing their height difference. 

“Good.” Rachel pecks her lips lingeringly. She kisses her again when Quinn chases after her mouth, for a longer kiss. 

“I should go now.” Quinn sighs in her mouth. 

“I’ll see you later.” Rachel pulls away from her, taking a couple of safe steps back. 

“See you, Broadway.” Quinn sends her one more smirk at her and then walks out of the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedbacks are appreciated, as usual. 
> 
> thanks


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reviews, hope you'll like this chapter!

**Part 3**

Rachel exits the theater from the back door and finds some of her fans standing there, with their playbills out for her to sign. Some want a picture with her and she is happy to indulge. She does it for her love for music. She does it for the people that can be encouraged to pursue a similar career, like she has done when she was younger too. 

“Full house always helps.” Jesse slides up to her, arm loosely wrapped around her waist to pose for a couple of pictures together. Their chemistry on stage is undeniable and that doesn’t help with the rumors surrounding a love interest off stage too. 

“Can’t believe it’s only one week left.” Rachel stands closer when a couple of journalists ask for another picture. This is more staged than the ones for fans. 

“You’re going to find a new show in no time.” Jesse smirks charmingly at the camera. 

“I’ve got a couple of projects lined up.” Rachel nods and leaves his arms when she gets to the end of the line of fans standing there. She looks around, searching for a familiar face in the crowd but she is nowhere to be found. 

“You’re up for a late dinner? I am famished.” Jesse stands with her, tightening the scarf around his neck. 

“I have...I am meeting someone.” Rachel furrows her brows and gets her phone out. No texts nor missed calls. 

“Hot date?” He nudges her, as they walk out of the back alley into the main street. It’s more crowded now. 

“I don’t know what it is.” Rachel sighs and starts typing a message out. 

“Whatever it is, I am sure she can’t wait to find out as well.” Jesse chuckles. 

“How do you know it’s a woman?” She looks at him puzzled. 

“I guessed?” He smirks down at her. “Or maybe it’s because there is a fairly attractive woman standing over there boring eyes in my skull? A fan?”

Rachel follows his gaze and she finally sees her. She finally sees Quinn across the street, leaning casually against the street lamp post and eyes focused on her. “Not a fan…I mean, I don’t know really.” 

“Enjoy your date.” He pats her shoulder and walks away, not wanting to keep her away from the mysterious blonde any longer. 

Rachel walks to the nearest crossroad and waits for the traffic light to turn green. She looks up to find Quinn on the other side, smirking the usual way that makes her want to slap it off her or just kiss it away. She is quick on her steps and as soon as she is on the side, she pushes through the bodies to get to the blonde. To get to Quinn. 

“Full house huh?” Quinn stands closer and greets her with a kiss on her cheek. 

“How do you know?” Rachel nuzzles her cheek discreetly. She brushes her nose along the side of her cheek. “You watched the show?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I just eavesdropped people coming out of the theater.” Quinn pulls back to stare at her. “So, dinner?”

“Yes. Where to?” Rachel links their arms together and falls in step with the blonde, heading north. 

“I know a place nearby. 10 minutes by walking or we can catch a cab.” Quinn looks at her. 

“We can walk there. It’s not too cold and these shoes are comfortable enough.” She looks down at her low heels. 

“I can always carry you, if needed.” Quinn chuckles. 

“What a gentlewoman, so chivalry is not really dead is it?” She tucks herself closer.

“Not from where I come from, no.” Quinn stands a little straighter, coming to a halt at the following crossroad. 

“Upstate New York? I didn’t think they paid this kind of attention to etiquette.” She slips her hand into Quinn’s, playing with her fingers. 

“Well…” Quinn looks both ways before leading them down the street. “My family is quite traditional, I guess.” 

“Do you have a big family? Are you close?” Rachel wants to know more. She isn’t sure of what they’re really doing together, but she wants to get to know her whether it turns into something less casual or not.

“It’s my Father, my Mother and my older sister.” Quinn falters on her step, at the mention of the last one. She stumbles and Rachel pulls her back, before she ends on the floor. “Sorry.” 

“It’s alright.” Rachel smiles and kisses her shoulder through the jacket. 

“I lost my sister less than a year ago and I couldn’t stay after that. She was the eldest and everything was on her shoulders, but when she…” She stops abruptly. She looks up at the tall buildings above them, catching a glimpse of the pinnacle of the Freedom tower in the distance. “Everything fell on me and I really couldn’t bear all of that. I had to leave.” 

“It happens you know? I am sure your family understands the pressure you’re under.” Rachel looks at her, hand sliding down the inside of arm to take her fist in her palm. 

“But they’ll never accept that I ran from my duties.” She sighs deeply. “I was supposed to take over, after my sister, and I ran from it.”

“What duties?” Rachel uses her other hand to tug her head down, so she can stare at her. 

“It’s a story for another time.” Quinn shakes her head with a sad smile. “Let me buy you dinner, for tonight.” She pecks her lips gently and tugs her inside the small diner, at their right. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

With her back against the front door, she should feel trapped but she feels the opposite. She feels so free to lose herself into the woman standing before her, kissing her with devotion and touching her with pure desire. Rachel has Quinn’s jacket off as soon as they step through the door of her apartment, not even caring about taking a look around the new location. Quinn’s place is closer and she doesn’t really care, as long as they have a surface where to lie or sit on, away from everyone else.

“Your raincoat now.” Quinn pulls from her neck to tug at the belt holding it together and, when expertly undone, she pushes the expensive fabric to the floor, right beside her own. 

“Eager, aren’t we?” Rachel chuckles and pushes against her chest, backing them off the door. She takes her time to stare around her. It’s quite the apartment for someone who has a part-time job in a bookstore. It’s probably more expensive than where she lives or where Jesse is and he has more money in his bank account than she has. “Okay, how do you pay for this?” She stops them by the couch. Her eyes are drawn to the open kitchen with the floor to ceiling windows and the great view on the Hudson River. 

“What do you mean? I’ve got a job.” Quinn shrugs casually and walks to the liquor cabinet, pouring some amber liquid in two glasses. “You like scotch?”

“Not my thing.” Rachel sits on the arm of the couch to stare at her back. She watches her bring the glass to her mouth, to ease the tension in her body. The tension coursing through her body. “Who are you, Quinn?”

“Just another girl.” Quinn mutters over the rim of her glass.

“No, you’re not.” Rachel walks up to her. She takes careful and measured steps towards her, until she can just drop her forehead between her shoulder blades and hold her around the waist, from behind. “What are you running from?” 

“A future that was written for me, without being able to have a say on it.” Quinn’s hand rests over the hands locked over her stomach. She brushes her fingers over Rachel’s knuckles and finishes her glass, like she is drinking water really. Rachel wonders if she is really knocking herself out, not to share her story. 

“It’s your future, you should be able to decide what’s going to be like.” She pushes her forehead against her shoulders, kissing the same spot softly. She kisses it again and holds onto Quinn, worrying she will disappear or just leave at any moment. 

“Do you want to stay, tonight?” Quinn looks at her over her shoulder. Her thumb brushes over the back of Rachel’s hand, like a plectrum on guitar strings. Like a leaf when it touches the ground. 

“Yes.” Rachel nods quickly. Maybe too quickly, but she doesn’t really care. 

“Good.” Quinn braces herself against the wall, forehead touching the cold wall while Rachel presses up into her back, holding onto her. She holds her closer, to take some of the burden off her shoulder. To share the heaviness of the life she ran from, on her own shoulders. Partially, at least. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

She watches her sleep. She knows she’s going down a dangerous path with Quinn. What is supposed to be something trivial like sex between strangers, it’s becoming something more and she can’t label it yet. 

She wants to, but she can’t. They’re not dating. They’re not just sleeping together, though. There’s a gray area they’re stuck in and she doesn’t know how to get out of that, without ruining everything. Without giving up on Quinn and everything that she makes her feel, even if it is so ephemeral and probably, short lived. So, she just steals these quiet moments in between. She lives on the borrowed time she presumes they have. 

“You alright?” Quinn’s voice pulls her out of her deep thoughts. She is lying on her back, head turned towards her and hands crossed over the hem of the blanket, draped over their lower bodies. 

“Yes. Did I wake you up with my loud thoughts?” Rachel tucks herself closer, to borrow her body heat and not only the time she’s been given, so far. 

“I don’t think that’s really possible, though.” Quinn angles her head to lean her forehead against the top of her head, lips brushing her hairline. “But I guess my mind is equally restless.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rachel’s fingers brush the cross with gentleness. She cups her hand over it and looks up at Quinn, finding her eyes open and staring down at her. 

“Do you want to talk about this?” Her foot locks around one of Rachel’s ankles, anchoring herself around the brunette and tugging her closer, at the same time. “About what this means?” 

“It doesn’t have to mean anything, really.” Rachel’s fingers trail along the side of her neck. She brushes her thumb over the tattoo below her ear, tracing the letters with a familiarity that astounds them both. 

“But what if I want to?” Quinn’s hand finds her wrist. Her fingers lock around her wrist, keeping her hand there as their faces grow closer. “Unless you don’t want to.” 

“I do.” Rachel pulls her down from the back of her head and kisses her softly. She kisses her to reinforce the message behind those two simple words. She kisses her to prove she is not alone. It’s the two of them, in this.

“I can’t offer much, Rachel.” Quinn whispers against her lips. “I can’t promise to give you more than this.” She looks around them. “I can only give you myself. What I am, right here and right now.”

“That’s all I need.” Rachel nods and scoots upwards to kiss her again. She kisses her and rolls on top of her, cradling her head between her forearms as she does so. “That’s all I really want.” 

“Then you have me.” Quinn’s hand finds its way under the hem of the shirt she has borrowed from her closet. She caresses the skin slowly but holds her, tightly. She holds her in place, against her. She holds her and kisses her, to steal the breath away from each other’s lungs. 

“And you have me.” Rachel whispers between the kisses. She tilts her head upwards to kiss her deeper, sinking fully on top of her knowing Quinn could take her. She could hold her up, without too much of an effort, after all. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

“You know I really don’t like waking up to an empty bed.” Rachel sneaks behind her, as she pours the coffee in two mugs 

“I was restless and I didn’t want to bother you. I kept you up late, anyway.” Quinn turns around, back against the counter and hands dropping to her hips.

“I didn’t mind staying up doing that.” Rachel leans up on her bare tiptoes and kisses her softly. “Or talking because you cannot sleep.” 

“I will keep that in mind.” Quinn nods. “Do you have your show tonight?” She caresses her hips and back, drawing her closer for a familiar embrace. For an embrace that feels like home. 

“Nope. It’s my day off.” Rachel traces the collar of her t-shirt and down her chest, patting her sternum. “But it is my best friend’s birthday. Her boyfriend is throwing her a surprise party.” 

“Sounds like fun.” Quinn smiles and leans down to kiss her. “Text me when you’re done, we can speak over the phone or I can come over.” 

“Or you could come with me?” Rachel looks away briefly. “Tina knows about us.” 

“She does?” Quinn kisses her temple gently. 

“I’ve ranted about this for a week, until you decided to call me. I thought we’d never cross paths again.” Rachel chuckles and drops her forehead against the outline of her collarbone. 

“You didn’t trust my memory? Did you think it was a trick not to call you back?” Her left hand leaves her hips to brush her hair back, so she can kiss her temple and down her cheek. 

“I am glad you proved me wrong.” Rachel tilts her head back to seize her lips for another kiss. She can’t really stop kissing Quinn, whenever she has the chance to. 

“What time do you want to meet up, to attend your friend’s party?” Quinn pecks her lips. 

“5 PM my place? We can catch a cab from there.” Rachel’s arms circle the back of her head, tugging her down to keep on brushing their lips together, while they talk. 

“Sounds like a good plan.” Quinn nods gently. “Can you stay for coffee?” 

“I have time.” Rachel nods and pulls away when Quinn reaches for the two mugs of coffee and nudges them towards the breakfast island in the middle of her spacious kitchen. 

“I don’t have much for breakfast, really. Do you want me to whip you something like waffles or pancakes?” She isn’t sure she has all the ingredients but she can try, after all.

“I’ll steal an apple.” Rachel leans over to get to the bowl of fruit in the middle of the island. She grabs the redder apple and bites into it. 

“What do you usually eat?” Quinn rubs her back as she leans over and keeps her hand there, even when she sits back on her stool. 

“A fruit salad or some toast with jam. Nothing too fancy really.” Rachel munches away. 

“I see.” Quinn leans over to brush the juices off her chin, with her thumb. 

“Sorry, I am a messy eater.” She uses a napkin to wipe the rest off. 

“It’s cute, really.” Quinn smiles over the rim of her mug. 

“You’re going to be at the shop?” Rachel washes the apple down with the black coffee. She isn’t going to finish it really.

“Just for about 4 hours, helping with the inventory and putting books into shelves. Artie can’t do it on his own.” She sits her mug down. 

“Maybe we can have lunch together? If you want to.” Rachel blushes, looking away.

“I would love that.” Quinn reaches out to cover her hand with hers. “I’ll text you the address, okay?”

“Okay.” Rachel leans over to kiss her softly. It is a date. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Tina finds them, huddled in a corner of the club Mike has booked for her birthday party and she is already tipsy with the toasts she has made with the friends and colleagues gathered there. 

“Well well…” Tina stands in front of them. “Rachel wasn’t wrong when she said you look like you came out straight from a Vogue magazine.” 

“Tina!” Rachel squeals and blushes hard. She looks over at Quinn, who just smirks at the two friends. “It was supposed to be a secret between us.” 

“Ops. Sorry.” Tina finishes her glass and sits it on the table beside her. “You’re the infamous Quinn?”

“I guess.” She stretches her hand out. “Happy Birthday.” 

“What’s this? We hug.” Tina pushes her hand away and pulls the blonde into a bear hug. Rachel chuckles at the obviously drunk enthusiasm and the shock on Quinn’s face. “You work out?”

“Okay, Tina. You can let her go, now.” Rachel pulls her best friend off the blonde and stands protectively in front of the blonde, who is still recovering from the sudden display of affection. 

“Did two angels fall in love and make you?” Tina laughs at her own lame comment. 

“Oh God, I apologize.” Rachel turns to stare at the blonde, who smiles and pulls her back into her front, dropping a kiss against her cheek from behind. 

“It’s fine. I am sure you’d be exactly like that, if that drunk.” Quinn nuzzles her earlobe. “Should we try that?”

“You don’t want to deal with my drunk self.” Rachel leans back to kiss her lips. “I am excessively clingy. My exes never liked that.”

“I am not one of your exes.” Quinn cups her palm and prevents her from moving too far, to be able to kiss her once more. 

“Aren’t you two the cutest? Young love is so beautiful.” Tina interrupts them with her swooning, wiping the corner of her eyes, dramatically. 

“I apologize for my best friend.” Rachel rests her forehead against the side of Quinn’s jaw and takes her hand, not wanting to really be too far from her. 

“Nothing to apologize for, really.” Quinn smiles and pushes her nose against her temple, her free arm circling around her waist loosely. 

“Tina, love, you should eat something.” A tall dark haired man appears out of nowhere, with a couple of fried goodies and a glass of water. 

“She won’t make it till the end of the party.” Rachel chuckles when Tina tries to resist, but eventually she caves in and takes the offered food and drink. 

“You must be Quinn.” Mike holds his hand out. 

“That’s me.” Quinn shakes it politely, now standing beside Rachel rather than behind her. “You must be the boyfriend.”

“Mike. I usually go by Mike.” He chuckles and when Tina stumbles back into his arms, he is quick to catch her around her waist. “Do I know you from somewhere?” He can’t shrug the feeling off. 

“Maybe around the neighborhood. I work a few blocks from here, really.” Quinn shrugs lightly. “Or maybe I just remind you of someone else. It’s common.”

“Maybe.” Mike nods, furrowing his brows. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Quinn turns to Rachel. “I could use one.”

“Sure, let’s get you something strong.” Rachel nods to Mike and Tina and leads the blonde towards the bar. She tugs her by the hand, not to lose her in the crowd, and once they are at the bar, she leans over to catch the bartender’s attention. 

“This dress looks good on you, did I tell you that?” Quinn leans over to whisper in her other ear and she has to hold onto the counter, a little tighter. 

“No you didn’t.” Rachel feels one of her hands slip between her front and the bar, to stroke along her stomach through her dress. 

“It’s hard not to drag you to the nearest bathroom to have my wicked way with you.” She whispers hotly in her ear. “But it won’t stay long once we’re alone tonight.”

“You’re insatiable.” Rachel pushes back against her chest to be able to turn around, in her arms, and grab her from the front of her emerald dress. “But I get what you mean.” She tugs her again and pecks her lips. 

“Oh, now you do?” She leans in when something catches her gaze behind Rachel’s shoulder. She stops midway and keeps on staring. She stares, without losing sight of it. 

“Quinn…” Rachel worries and looks behind her shoulder, at whatever Quinn is staring at. “Is there something wrong?”

“I thought…” Quinn sighs and looks around her. She has missed it. “I thought I saw someone I know.” 

“Maybe you and Tina have friends or colleagues in common. Do you want to look for them?” Rachel sees the blonde look around. She tries to follow her gaze, but she can’t. 

“No. Probably. I mistook them for someone else.” She takes another look and then turns towards the brunette. 

“You okay? Do you want to leave?” She leans up to kiss the angle of her mouth. 

“I am fine. Let’s drink ok?” Quinn thanks the bartender with a smile and hands Rachel her glass. She takes hers and sips slowly. There is time to get worried about a ghost from her past, but not tonight. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

She can sense something is concerning Quinn, by the way she seems to be lost in her own thoughts. She is there but not really. She is sitting there, arm draped over the back of the couch they are occupying, and she follows their conversation but not fully. 

Rachel seizes the opportunity to ask her, when Mike and Tina leave for the bar. She turns to Quinn who is staring off in the distance, not without disinterest.

“Is everything alright?” She leans in to whisper in her ear, to catch her attention without startling her. “You’re bored?”

“Bored?” Quinn drops her arm around her waist and tugs her in, to brush her lips against her forehead. “I am here, sorry.”

“We don’t have to stay for too long, if you don’t feel like it.” Rachel’s hand trails up her sternum to brush the outline of her cross, through her dress. 

“I want to be here.” Quinn shakes her head and tilts her head down, to push her forehead against Rachel’s. “I didn’t mean to space out, sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. Just say the word and we can leave.” Rachel uses her hand to cup the side of her neck, fingers displayed below her ear to tickle the inked skin. 

“The word.” Quinn grins and leans down to kiss Rachel’s protests away. It was a bad pun, but hard not to make it. 

“Smartass.” Rachel smiles against her lips, despite her attempts not to. She pulls her down, when their lips part to feel the tip of their tongues brush lazily. 

“Do you want another drink?” Quinn nibbles on her bottom lip. She does it again when the brunette arches into her. She arches into her like she has, during those nights spent rolling in bed with her. 

“I am not going to be drunk around you, Quinn.” Rachel pushes her back and takes a couple of scoots back, to get away from her tempting lips. 

“Wasn’t trying to get you drunk, just up to speed with your friend over there.” Quinn reaches for her own glass and takes a long sip. The ice has melted enough to make it less strong than she likes, really. 

“Tina is too far gone. I would be bent over a toilet seat, with the amount of alcohol she drank.” Rachel watches her friend stumble her way to them, with Mike’s arms around her to steady her. 

“That’s not a nice image you know?” Quinn smirks over the rim of her glass.

“Hope you will never have to take care of me, when I am like that though.” Rachel takes a sip from the water bottle she has gotten from the bar, with the last round. 

“I would, if you needed me to.” Quinn sits her glass down and closes the distance between them, to pull her back into her side. 

“Aren’t you the cutest? Quinn, where do you come from? Heaven?” Tina hiccups, with Mike patting her back gently.

“Not really. Just upstate.” She clears her throat. 

“You went to college here in New York?” Tina leans forward to hear her over the sound of the loud music. 

“Tina, why are you grilling her?” Rachel steps in, but Quinn simply rubs her back comfortingly. 

“Yale. I graduated there. Family’s traditions, I guess.” Quinn leans back into the couch, tucking her leg behind the other without really crossing them. “I completed my education abroad.” 

“So you’re from New Haven, after all.” Tina laughs at her own joke, reaching for the bottle of champagne. 

“Where abroad?” Rachel looks up at her, this time.

“Cambridge.” Quinn looks away briefly. “Geez, I sound like a snob don’t I?”

“More like someone who has potential to be more than working part-time in a bookstore.” Rachel mutters mostly to herself, but Quinn has heard her perfectly.

“What’s wrong in working there? Is it too simple for you?” She turns to Rachel, having heard her.

“That’s not what I meant.” Rachel stumbles on her words. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. Artie is a great guy.” 

“Yes, he is.” Quinn says through gritted teeth. “He is and I shouldn’t feel bad because I am behind a counter, rather than parading around New York for the paps on my payroll.” 

“That’s not what I want you to do.” Rachel puts some space between them. 

“But it’s what you want to do, don’t you? You like the attention more than you want to really admit.” Quinn scoffs. “Everyone likes it.” 

“I love singing. I love being on a stage but no, there’s nothing wrong in wanting to be in the spotlight. I don’t have anything to hide, what about you?” Rachel challenges her back. 

“Girls, why don’t you take a moment, alright?” Mike nods towards Rachel and then looks at Quinn, who is quick on her feet. 

“You know what? I don’t owe you anything really and we’re done here.” Quinn takes her purse and looks at the other couple. “Thanks for having me, Tina. Happy Birthday again.” 

“Quinn…” Rachel tries to get her to stay but she ignores her and just walks out of the VIP area, heading towards the cloak room to get her coat and just leave it all behind.

**tbc**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? comments?


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mystery surrounding Quinn will be soon solved. Until then, enjoy...

PART 4 

It’s been days of radio silence from Quinn. Rachel has waited, patiently, for any sign from the blonde without making the first move. It’s something she has wanted to do, but it wasn’t her call to make. So, she scrolls through her messages, hoping to see the familiar dots moving or a new notification. It’s not really something she can help. She can’t help but be distracted by Quinn clouding her mind, even when she is supposed to be working. Even when she is with her friends. Even more, when she is alone on her own. 

“You’ve been quiet for the whole dinner, is everything alright?” Jesse nudges her with his elbow, as he walks her back to her building. 

“Yeah. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing you know? Cassie is there for that.” Rachel chuckles and looks down at her feet. She kicks a few cans to the side, fighting the urge to reach out and throw it in the bin herself. 

“That’s not the Rachel Berry I know, though.” Jesse kicks the next one before she can. “Has it anything to do with that girl?”

“Which one?” Rachel furrows her brows. She knows he’s talking about Quinn. 

“Don’t play dumb with me.” He stops in the middle of the street, under one of the brightest lamp posts. “You know I’m talking about that girl who picked you up, a couple of weeks ago. You’re still seeing her?”

“It’s complicated.” Rachel stands in front of him, but she is really avoiding his inquisitive gaze. 

“Is it, really? Why?” Jesse’s smirk softens. 

“Because she is so broody and closed off.” Rachel wraps her arms around herself. “She just won’t open up to me...we just…”

“Fuck?” Jesse chuckles, bracing himself for the slap he receives. “It must be a hell of an experience, if you get flowers for it.”

“What flowers?” Rachel is confused. She is even more confused when his gaze falls behind her shoulder and he nods towards it. 

“Sounds like she did something she wants to be forgiven for.” He pushes her towards the blonde, who has stood up from the steps of the building and is just standing there, with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. “Go and have hot make up sex with your broody blonde.” He squeezes her shoulders encouragingly, pushing her towards the other woman. 

Rachel gives him the finger discreetly. She does it behind her back and she knows he’s gotten it, because he chuckles loud enough before turning on his heels to leave them the privacy they need. She walks the remaining steps between herself and the familiar blonde, who is now on the sidewalk with the flowers at her side and an unreadable expression on her face. 

“Hey.” Quinn’s voice is soft. Gone is the bitterness that she has left Rachel with, when she has stormed out of the club. 

“Hey.” Rachel wraps her arms around herself. She doesn’t want to give in too easily, even if she is tempted to reach out and take her hand or cup her face, to draw her into one of those kisses she has been thinking about, for the past days. 

“These are for you.” She holds the bouquet out for her to take. “Gardenias are my favorite flowers and..well, I wanted to apologize for having left so abruptly, days ago.” 

“Do you want to come up for a cup of tea or are you in a rush?” Rachel brushes past her towards the door of her building. She opens it slowly and walks in, sure that Quinn is right behind her. They take the stairs to her apartment, with Rachel leading and Quinn following silently. “Sorry for the mess.” She feels the need to apologize, even if her apartment is pristine but not as good as where Quinn lives or apparently is used to. 

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Rachel.” Quinn hovers by the closed door, while the brunette is making herself at home. She watches her drop the coat and then the heels, until she is left in a beautiful black dress and locks cascading on her bare shoulders, in perfect waves. “Where do you want these?”

“There’s a vase on the bookshelf by the door. Can you get that?” Rachel walks into the open kitchen to boil some water for their tea and, also, to get some for the flowers. She comes back with a bottle and pours it in the vase, mindful not to let it spill or make it tumble forward and onto the carpet, under the coffee table. “These are beautiful.”

“I hoped you’d like them.” Quinn is still by the door, hands tucked in the pockets of her own coat. 

“I do.” Rachel sits the bottle aside and looks at the blonde. There’s still so much tension between them that everything sounds more complicated than it really is. Everything feels like an insurmountable problem to face. 

“Maybe I should just get out of your hair, it’s late anyway.” Quinn turns to reach for the doorknob. 

“That’s all you have to say?” Rachel scoffs. She deserves more than just beautiful flowers and a quick apology. She deserves more than being dismissed like that. “I don’t accept this, Quinn. I can’t accept this when I deserve more than flowers.” She points to the flowers. 

“You’re right.” Quinn leans back against the door and stares at her. “I’m sorry.” She sighs, running a hand through her hair, tied in a high ponytail. “I acted like a jerk and I was disrespectful towards you and your friends. I am really sorry for the way I behaved that night.” 

“What else?” Rachel rounds the coffee table to stand in front of her. 

“I know you’re not an attention seeker, Rachel.” Quinn drops her head back against the door. “You deserve all the plaudits they’re sending your way, because you’re talented.” 

“Damn right, I am.” Rachel steps closer, hands landing on the lapels of her coat to keep her there and to brace herself against it. “You were so mad and I don’t know why.”

“I know.” Quinn’s hands reach for her wrists. She wraps her fingers around them and holds her hands in place. She holds Rachel there against her. 

“Why don’t you tell me about it? It feels like I know so little about you…” Rachel tugs her off the door with her and lowers their arms, so she can lead her back towards the kitchen where the water must be boiling by now. 

“I…” Quinn tenses in her arms. She can feel it in the way her grip slackens and her body doesn’t follow her like she usually would. She almost takes a step back. She almost wants to find a way out of it. 

“Quinn…” Rachel brings her arms around her own waist and she leans up to cup her face. She cups both of her cheeks and pulls her down to lower their foreheads together. “I am not going anywhere okay? I am not going to expect anything more than whatever you want to share with me.” 

“Okay.” Quinn nods softly and pushes her forehead against hers. “Can we have that tea and then we can talk?” She nods towards the kitchen behind her and Rachel smiles softly, agreeing with that plan. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

The silence is not as awkward as when Quinn has stepped into the apartment, tonight. They sit in silence, on different ends of the couch, with their mugs in their hands. Quinn is looking down at her sock clad feet and Rachel is staring at her. She stares at her profile, with her legs tucked under her and her mind open for whatever Quinn will be sharing with her. She is ready for everything. She is not just saying it. 

“You sounded like my Father.” Quinn sits the mug on one of the coasters Rachel has spread out on the coffee table. “When you said I could do better than being a part-time shop assistant in a bookstore, it felt like my Father was right there. His voice echoes in my ears. It keeps me awake at night.” 

“I didn’t really mean anything bad by it, Quinn.” Rachel does the same with her mug. “I saw you working there and you love it. If it makes you happy, you shouldn’t care about what I say or anyone else.”

“It can’t last.” Quinn shakes her head softly. “It doesn’t really matter, you know? I can’t hide myself there and hope they will forget about me. I will have to go back, at some point.” Quinn leans back, head against the back of the couch and eyes casted upwards, towards the ceiling of her apartment. 

“Go back where? Home?” Rachel sits beside her, angling her head to look at her profile. 

“Yeah. It’s just a matter of days or weeks.” Quinn tilts her head to stare at her. She settles with her cheek against the back of the couch and reaches for Rachel’s hand. 

“They cannot force you into something you don’t want to do, can they?” Her finger slip through Quinn’s and she squeezes them. 

“Of course not, but they can be pretty persuasive.” She sighs and brings Rachel’s palm to her lips. “My sister honored her duties and so should I.” 

“What are you talking about?” Rachel leans in. She touches their foreheads together and closes her eyes, when their noses graze lightly. 

“Family thing. I need to go back and take over now that my sister is no longer here.” Quinn drops their hands to cup her cheek. She brushes her knuckles along the back of her cheek slowly and leans in, to kiss her lightly. 

“And you can’t do it from here? Or delegate? There are people who could run it for you.” Rachel whispers against her lips softly. 

“No, I need to be there.” She pulls from her lips. “It’s not just my family who is involved in this. There are promises to keep and things that I need to take care of, personally.” 

“What about me? What about us?” Rachel surges forward to nip at her bottom lip. She bites down on it, angrily, but Quinn takes it without protesting. She takes every hard nip and tug, while Rachel’s hands slip under her clothes to scratch along her front. 

“Rachel…” Quinn’s fingers slip around the back of her head to guide her movements. She slows her down and kisses her softer. She kisses her to soothe her pain, when she is the one with the aching lips. “I would stay with you, if I could.”

“You can stay.” Rachel lifts herself enough to straddle her lap and pin her hands each side of their heads, against the couch. “You can choose this life over something that will make you unhappy.” 

“I know.” She leans in to meet each kiss with one of her own. She kisses Rachel again, while the clothes come off and more skin is revealed to their fervid touches and hungry kisses. “I know.” She says but she doesn’t say all the things she is supposed to say. She knows but she can’t. That’s what she means. 

“Stay.” Rachel pushes her flat on the couch and stretches over her, between her thighs. She melts into Quinn and cradles her head, with her forearms. She presses her down into the couch, not wanting to give her any chance to move or leave. 

“I am not going anywhere.” Quinn pulls her down by her cheeks. She caresses them slowly and kisses her equally tenderly. She keeps on kissing her while Rachel moves inside of her. While she claims her as hers and begs her not to leave. 

“Quinn…” Rachel sobs in pleasure when she is entered too. She feels Quinn’s fingers curl into her, falling into the same rhythm she has set. They move in synch. It’s like they have done this for years already. It’s like there are years ahead of them but it will be weeks if not days or maybe hours.

“Let it go.” Quinn guides her through their shared peak. They tighten together. They clench hard and then let it go, at the same time. Rachel feels it. She feels herself unclench around Quinn’s fingers. She feels Quinn release her grip on her fingers. She feels the flutters and the erratic breaths.

“Don’t leave tonight.” Rachel nuzzles into the crook of her neck and Quinn nods softly. She nods and holds her around her back, not really wanting to break any promise to her. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Rachel wakes up in her bed. She is curled on her side, facing her dresser and adjusting to the darkness surrounding her bedroom. She knows it’s too early to go anywhere and she can just go back to sleep, but she can’t help not wanting to. She doesn’t know whether to dare and turn around to find the other side of the bed empty or go to sleep, pretending there is no emptiness behind her. Pretending that Quinn is there, sleeping quietly. 

She almost rolls over, when the bed shifts and the covers are lifted enough to let someone else in, underneath. She feels the chilly air of the room envelope her naked frame until Quinn’s warmth replaces it. She feels her breasts press up in her back and her hips against her backside, touching her so intimately she almost wants to cry. 

“Rachel?” Quinn whispers in her ear. She has her arm wrapped around her waist, reaching for one of her wrists to hold onto from behind. 

“Yeah?” She can’t pretend to be asleep. Her pulse is quick under Quinn’s fingers and her body is not fully relaxed. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Quinn’s thumb brushes over her tattoo and she turns her head enough to stare into her eyes. There’s so much pain, in them, that she just wants to reach out and heal all of her wounds. 

“There is not much to talk about, right?” She turns her head back to stare at her dresser. 

“I’m sorry.” Quinn nuzzles her face against the crook of her neck, holding her a little tighter. “What’s your family like? Better than mine I assume.” 

“My Daddies are the best parents I could have wished for.” She sandwiches Quinn’s hand between her palms and curls forward, feeling the blonde doing the same around her. “They never talked me down from wanting to be on Broadway, even if I think my Dad always wanted me to secretly develop a thing for Law. I would have made a good Lawyer.”

“I’m sure of that, but the world would’ve missed out on you being the star you are.” Quinn kisses her shoulder and Rachel melts. She melts on the inside and squeezes their hands. 

“You can’t say these things, Quinn.” She takes in a deep breath. “You can’t say these things and expect me to ignore the way you make me feel.”

“I don’t want you to ignore it.” Quinn pulls her to lie on her back and hovers her, still on her side. “I mean every word I say.”

“That’s not fair, Quinn.” Rachel looks away. “You’re leaving...not now, maybe tomorrow but you’re leaving and I will have nothing but words.”

“If I could choose, I would pick you.” Quinn tugs her face towards hers and she kisses her tenderly. “I would choose this.”

“Then do that.” Rachel holds her hand against her own cheek and hovers her lips. “Quinn…”

“I can’t. Not now.” Quinn rests their foreheads together and rolls them over. She pins Rachel’s hands down and looks into her eyes before crushing her mouth over hers. 

She feels Rachel’s hands leave her loose grip and push against her chest. She feels her hands hitting her chest as their kisses become sloppier. She feels her fists turn into open palms holding onto her shoulder blades while their hips follow the same movement. It’s like playing the same song. It’s like following the same melody. 

“Quinn.” Rachel distracts her with a hard bite and rolls them over, pinning her hands down without letting her escape it. 

“Rachel.” She is breathless. Rachel has stolen the oxygen from her lungs. Looking into her eyes, she realizes she is slowly losing grip on something else too. Something beating erratically in her chest. 

“You can come back to me.” Rachel laces their fingers and stretches against her. She makes sure to press every inch of her against Quinn. Everything falls perfectly against the blonde. Their curves fit together. 

“Yes. I can…” Quinn leans in to kiss her but Rachel resists her. She tries again without succeeding. “Rach, please.” 

Rachel simply lets her find her own lips. She kisses back equally hard and pushes back into Quinn, who simply arches into her for more. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

When she wakes up, this time, she finds the other side of the empty. She stretches her hand across the mattress and finds it warm enough to realize it’s not really been too long. She curls on her side and pulls the other pillow to her chest, nuzzling her face into it. It is equally warm and smells like her shampoo and perfume. It smells like Quinn and like her. It smells like a beautiful memory that she will have to hold onto. 

“You’re awake.” Quinn’s voice startles her. She has been caught nuzzling into that pillow, like a weirdo. Like someone who is creeping on someone who is supposed to be miles away. On someone who is supposed not to witness it. 

“I thought you had left.” Rachel pushes it away like she’s been burnt by it. She sits up with the bedsheet brought up to her chin, to cover her bare frame. She will never get used to being someone else naked, let alone in the sunlight. Let alone with someone who looked like Quinn.

“I still need you to lock it after me.” Quinn is nursing a cup of coffee. She is sipping it slowly, like it’s a habit. Like it’s just another morning together. Like it’s their routine. 

“Right.” Rachel reaches for the shirt on the floor and puts it on, adjusting the hem around her thighs when she slips her feet into her fluffy slippers and gets out of the warm cocoon, where she has woken up. “Is there any coffee left?” 

“Yes. I made a fresh pot.” Quinn straightens when she brushes past her, lifting her hair into a messy bun. She follows her with interest, not really needing to move from the doorway to be able to follow Rachel’s movements. 

“You want something to eat?” Rachel’s back is to her. She is rummaging through cabinets and into the fridge to find something edible. She keeps on searching for food, when Quinn’s mug is placed on the counter beside hers. 

“Hey.” Quinn’s nose brushes along the side of her face and behind her ear, sharing a sigh. 

“Hey.” Rachel’s arm circles the back of her head. She keeps it in place and tilts her own head back, to kiss her gently. 

“I am still here, okay?” Quinn’s hand finds hers on the counter. She laces their fingers together and uses the other one to caress her hip through the shirt she is wearing. 

“For how long?” Rachel whispers against her lips. She pecks her gently and then pulls back, to look down at where their hands are laced. 

“I don’t know. But can’t we live one moment at a time?” Quinn lowers her arms around her, pulling her back into her front. 

“I don’t know if I can, Quinn. How can I say goodbye?” Rachel’s hands slide along her crossed forearms and brush the insides of her elbows. “I don’t want to say goodbye.” 

“You’re right.” Quinn pulls her closer and spins her around in her own arms. Her hands lace behind her back and her lips seizes Rachel’s in a hard and desperate kiss. 

“Mm.” Rachel’s fingers tangle in her hair. She tugs hard enough to make Quinn wince in her mouth and that’s all she needs to push her tongue in. She traces every inch of her mouth with her tongue. She does it again even when Quinn’s hands push under her shirt and between her thighs. 

“Up.” Quinn mutters and lifts her on the counter with ease. She has her fingers buried inside her and the other hand rubbing her nub. 

“Quinn…” Rachel knows this is the closest thing to a goodbye, without really saying it. It feels like their last time. 

“Shh.” Quinn pushes inside her and she kisses her words away. She kisses her harder when another finger slips in, taking her the way she needs. Owing her the way she deserves. 

“God.” Her head drops back against the cabinets. Her hands grip the back of Quinn’s head and brings her lips to her neck. She cannot kiss and breathe at the same time. She is too consumed by the pleasure to be able to really keep on kissing her.

“You’re clenching around me so bad.” Quinn is working on the umpteenth hickey. She has scattered them over the sides of her neck and upper collarbone. It will be a nightmare to cover them witn make-up. It will be easy to look at them and have something to remember Quinn by. 

“Please…” She is close. She is close to coming. She is close to letting it go. She is close to let her go, without really wanting to. The longer she holds onto her orgasm, the longer Quinn stays. 

“Let it go.” Quinn whispers hotly in her ear. She has soothed all her marks with her lips and is panting in her ear. She breathes over it while her fingers drag the pleasure out of her. While she takes her off the edge. One more time. One last time. 

Rachels comes silently. It is a strangled cry that dies on her lips. It dies on her lips like the words she wants to say. Like the confessions she wants to make but she can’t keep her there. So she comes around her fingers, quietly, with her words echoing in her mind. 

Quinn kisses her temple and pulls out with gentleness. It is a foreign touch compared to the way she has taken her for hours, the night before. To the way she has fucked her now, easing her into the moment they would say goodbye. 

Rachel’s arms lock around her neck, nuzzling the other side of her face slowly. It is a simple gesture, yet so intimate that she can feel her heart hammer in her chest with something that she isn’t entitled to feel for Quinn. Something she has no luxury to feel for her. She feels Quinn doing the same, pulling her into her arms. She can only hope they share the same sentiment. 

She can only hope Quinn is equally heartbroken from having to part from her, like she is. She can only hope she is not alone in this, but how is that even remotely helpful?

**comments? thoughts?**


	5. Part 5

**so, we're close to the full revelation of Quinn's past. Thanks for your comments and interest, enjoy this new chapter...**

**Warnings: attempted assault + sexual content**

**PART 5**

“You don’t have to be at the theater?” Quinn trails her fingers along her forearm and downwards, disappearing under the hem of the blanket they have thrown over their naked bodies. 

“No. We have a late show.” Rachel follows the movement with her eyes and then tilts her head backwards, to stare up at Quinn. “You don’t have work?”

“In a couple of hours.” The blonde finds her hip and tugs her by it. She tugs her until their fronts are pressed together. They are chest to chest, hip to hip. Their legs are tangled under the blanket and she can feel every inch of Rachel’s skin against hers, not really helping with cooling down after their heated moments. 

“Was your sister older than you?” It’s Rachel's turn to trace her silhouette with her fingertips. She knows every curve by now, but she’s never taken her time without being lost in the throes of their passionate encounters. It’s usually rushed. It’s usually heated. Now, it’s just a simple and tender touch that makes her shiver the same way, though. 

“Yes. Four years older.” Quinn scoots closer, nuzzling the pillow right in front of Rachel. She nuzzles the fabric and then leans in, to brush her lips over Rachel’s moving mouth. She kisses her lighty and tugs her closer, hand cupping the back of her head. “You have siblings?” 

“No. I’m an only child.” Rachel looks down, even if there’s not really much room for her to do so. She looks down at the cross dangling from Quinn’s neck. She reaches for it and traces its familiar shape before looking back up into Quinn’s eyes, which have never moved away from her face. 

“You’ve always wanted to be a singer, right? Since you were a child?” Quinn’s hand caresses the small of her back and pulls her closer, leaning down to nuzzle her nose along the corner of her lips. “I heard you sing.” 

“You did?” Rachel perks up at that mention. She finds her mouth with hers. She kisses her lightly and grips her by the back of her neck, holding her against her until she’s rolled on her back with Quinn following her along. She settles under the blonde and spreads her thighs to accommodate her weight in between. 

“Yes. I don’t think there’s anywhere else you should be. You belong on that stage.” Quinn’s fingers brush her hair back. She caresses her forehead and temple with tenderness and settles fully against her. She feels her legs wrap around her hips, keeping her there without any more space left in between their naked frames. 

“Where is your place, Quinn?” Rachel’s thumb tugs at her bottom lip. She feels it quiver under her touch and she leans in to kiss it softly. She tugs and sucks on it. She keeps on tugging Quinn by it, who just rolls her hips forward in a familiar way.

“I don’t know.” Quinn sighs when their thighs open enough to press intimately together. It’s something they’ve grown familiar with. It’s another way to relieve the ache throbbing for each other. “I really don’t know, Rachel.” 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

“Hey, Artie.” Rachel walks inside the book shop carrying a bag with food. 

“Rachel, nice to see you here.” Artie wheels himself from behind the counter to greet her properly. “Is the infamous meatball sandwich from Tony’s that I smell?”

“With the extra mozzarella cheese.” She nods and sits the bag on the counter, to produce the box with a diet soda.

“You’re a lifesaver.” Artie brings the box closer and opens it with eagerness. He is suddenly hungrier. 

“Is Quinn here? I’ve got lunch for her too.” Rachel looks around the front of the shop. 

“She is in the back. We got a last minute delivery and she is giving me a hand with that.” Artie winks at her. “She needs a break and I am sure she’d rather spend it with you than chatting about comics with me.” He grabs the sandwich box and wheels away towards the counter, just to be there for the customers if he ever needs to. 

Rachel walks down the shelves leading to the back of the shop, searching for the familiar blonde with her eyes. She has to walk even further down, into the back to find her moving boxes across the room, piling them into neat stacks. 

“Quinn?” Rachel knocks on the open doorway, not to startle her. 

“Rachel?” Quinn turns when her name is called. She uses the hem of her shirt to wipe her forehead, revealing abs that Rachel knows very well. Yet, she can’t help but be flustered at the sight. 

“It’s lunch time. I thought you’d be hungry and I was in the neighborhood.” She lifts the bag with the sandwiches. One for her and one for the blonde. 

“Tony’s is not exactly in the neighborhood, though.” Quinn throws the discarded flannel shirt on and rolls her sleeves up to her elbows. 

“Fine. I wanted to bring you lunch.” Rachel rolls her eyes at her. “Do you want me to take it back, so you can fetch lunch yourself?”

“You’re not going anywhere with my meatballs sandwich, woman.” She backs her into the nearest wall, but Rachel doesn’t really mind. She stares up at her with an equal knowing smirk. 

“Oh really now?” She grabs her by the hem of her tank top and pulls her closer. She tugs enough to have Quinn bracing herself against the wall, each side of her head, and then leaning down to kiss her hard. She kisses her with hunger. She kisses her like it’s been ages since they have last kissed each other, when it’s been mere hours. 

“Hi.” Quinn licks her parted lips as she pulls back. Her hands slide down the wall to cup her cheeks, caressing them slowly. 

“Hi.” Rachel leans up to tug at her bottom lip. It’s her favorite thing to do, whenever they are close enough and they’re not engaged in another kind of kiss. 

“What did you get for yourself?” Quinn looks down at the bag she is holding at her side. 

“Just the vegan alternative.” Rachel shrugs. “Do you want to eat here or should we join Artie at the front?”

“He can manage on his own.” She takes the bag and sits it on one of the unopened boxes she has there. “He knows where we are, if he needs me.” 

“Right.” Rachel’s arms sneak around her waist and she pushes herself off the wall, pressing up into the blonde. 

“We should eat the food, before it gets too cold.” She doesn’t move away, though. Her fingers brush Rachel’s hair back. She caresses it slowly as she leans down to take her lips in hers. 

“We should.” Rachel grips her by the back of her shirt. She lifts herself on her tiptoes to kiss her fullier. “We totally should.” 

“What are you doing to me?” Quinn drops her hands to her hips and then even lower, just to lift her off the floor and against the wall. She holds her there and makes room for her body, until Rachel’s legs lock around her waist just like she has done it during their last round in bed. 

“I could ask you the same thing, Quinn.” Rachel looks down at her from her advantaged position. She looks down into her hazel eyes and wraps herself around the blonde. She kisses her and lets herself be kissed, losing themselves in these moments they are living on borrowed time. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

It’s just the two of them. She has sent Artie home earlier, since it has been a slow day for them. The sign is switched onto “Closed” and the lights are lower. She has switched off the laptop in the back and locked the back room, so it’s just her and Rachel. It’s Quinn putting away the money they have done and Rachel sits there, on the counter, watching her. 

“Do you want to go out for dinner? My treat.” Quinn locks the cash register and pockets the keys. 

“I’ve got a late show.” Rachel checks the clock above the door. There’s still time to go home and change before going to the theater.

“Oh, maybe later? Get a drink or a dessert from that place you showed me.” Quinn drops on the stool behind the counter and wheels it towards Rachel, who parts her legs as soon as she is close enough. 

“Yes, maybe.” Rachel looks down at Quinn. She looks down at her but she holds back from reaching out and touching her. It’s such a dangerous game they’re playing. A dangerous game they're playing with themselves. 

“If you have plans, already, I understand. We are not supposed to see each other all the time.” Quinn drops her hands to the counter, each side of her waist. 

“We’re supposed to say goodbye, aren’t we?” She can’t help it. She is bitter and heartbroken over a girl who has captured her heart. Who has stolen it and will get away with it. 

“Rachel…” Quinn sighs and looks away from her.

“Right. We shouldn’t say that. We know it’s going to happen but we can’t talk about it.” Rachel slips from the counter and gets to her feet, putting some space between her and the blonde. 

“We have talked about it and we can still do it. But there’s not really much else to add, isn’t there?” Quinn runs her fingers through her hair. 

“Isn’t there? I know nothing about you, Quinn. You’re from upstate but from where exactly? What’s your surname, Quinn? You’re like this big enigma that I cannot resolve. You’re just adding more questions to it.” She looks at her. “You went to Yale, doing what? And Cambridge? Who goes to Cambridge for family traditions, Quinn?”

“That’s not unusual, Rachel. There are tons of people going to England for their education.” Quinn stands up. “Look, answering those questions won’t change the fact that I will have to go back at some point. Why waste time over that when we can do better things?” 

“Like screwing each other? That’s all we do, no?” Rachel points to the back room. “We meet up and we get naked. It's all we do and that’d be fine, if we kept things simple but it’s not the case, isn’t it?”

“We don’t fuck. It’s not what it is, Rachel.” Quinn rounds the counter to get closer to the brunette.

“That’s the issue, Quinn. It’s not just a fuck between us.” Rachel stares up at her. “It’s so much more than that but I need more. I need more than good orgasms and falling asleep in your arms.” She wipes a lone tear rolling down her cheek. “I need more than kissing you behind bookshelves, like a pair of teenagers falling in love for the first time.”

“Rachel…” Quinn tries to take her in her arms but the brunette takes a step back. 

“I need answers.” She holds her hands up. “I deserve more than this because we are more than just friends with benefits. We are not friends, but we could be everything.” She looks at the blonde. “We could be more, Quinn. Don’t you want that too?”

“I do. God, there’s nothing I’d want more but…” She looks away. 

“Right. Not now.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Because you have to go home. What is home, Quinn? I hope it is worthier than giving up on this chance at happiness.”

“It is not but I will come back…” Quinn steps closer to take her in her arms, but Rachel is moving back towards the door. 

“And things will change, Quinn. We will change, what if it’s just going to be too late for us?” Rachel takes her purse from off the counter and walks out of the door. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Rachel stands by the counter, playing with the straw in her fruity drink and listening to Jesse complain about the latest audition. With their show coming to an end, she is getting new offers and projects but her mind is still elsewhere. It is not really good for her future, but she can’t help it. 

“You’re not listening aren’t you?” He nudges her in the side. 

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Rachel looks at him. 

“I was asking you about the charity event we’re going to perform for. You know anything about it?” Jesse swirls the beer in his glass. 

“Not much, really. Cassie mentioned there will be important people attending.” Rachel finishes her glass and looks up. 

“You’ll bring your girl?” Jesse finished his own. 

“No. We...I don’t think so, really.” Rachel looks away briefly. “You?”

“You know me. No one sticks around for too long.” He smirks over her shoulder and drops some bills on the counter. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He winks at her and moves off the stool to approach the stranger of the evening. 

“Typical.” Rachel shakes her head with a smile. She stands up to walk out when someone else sits beside her. 

“Going somewhere?” His voice is deep and husky. “Can I get you a refill?” He nods to the bartender and points to her empty glass and his own. 

“No thank you.” Rachel turns him down politely but firmly. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” 

“A dance? It’s not even midnight, Cinderella.” He follows after her and reaches for her hand, stopping her before she can reach the dance floor and get lost into the crowd of bodies. 

“I am not interested, just let me go.” She tries to get herself free from his grip but he is stronger. 

“C’mon, don’t play hard to get.” He advances on her and she takes the opportunity of a waiter passing bg to slam her heel into his foot, making him wince and let her loose. She pushes through the crowd and walks out of the club, breathing in the warm air of the evening. 

She is just a couple of feet away from the main entrance when footsteps approach from behind her and she is spun around, facing the same guy she has hoped to have left behind. “Let me go, now.” 

“Don’t think so, hun. You think you could leave like that? Who do you think you are?” He tries to push her backwards, towards one of the narrow alleys between the buildings. 

“Let me go!” She shouts in his face and he is almost successful in dragging her away, when someone else grabs onto the back of his hair, urging him to bend backwards in pain. 

“What do you think you’re doing, jerk?” Quinn holds her hand back and smashes her knuckles against the side of his face, sending him in one of the trash cans on the sidewalk. 

“Quinn.” Rachel rushes to her side, but the blonde simply keeps her behind her. She shields her with her body as they both watch the guy stumble back to his feet. 

“I should’ve gotten you’re a carpet muncher.” He spits the blood onto the curb and grits his teeth. “Such a shame you are too, we could have had more fun.” He smirks at them. 

“Walk away now, before I do more damage to that dumb face.” Quinn squares her shoulders, masking her uncertainties with her smirk. 

“You think you can take me, princess? We’ll see when I’ll have you in all the ways you fucking deserve.” He takes a step forward. “Gotta love a girl who knows how to put up a fight.”

“You’re disgusting.” Quinn takes a step back and nods to her purse. “Call 9-1-1.” 

“Oh, I don’t fucking think so.” He charges at them and Quinn is quick to push Rachel away before taking the hit. She is sent to the floor, pinned there while Rachel tries to get him off her, with no avail. 

“Rachel…” Quinn shouts when he pushes the brunette back, sending her to the floor. She gains the upper hand and punches him to the side, with her already aching hand. She has definitely broken something. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He grabs onto her waist as she starts getting on her feet. He pins her back down and leans over her, smirking victoriously down at her. 

“Get off me, asshole.” She tries again but he is stronger. He leans in. He pins her down with his body when someone else grabs him from the back of his head and the punch, this time, sends him into a state of deep unconsciousness. 

“Fuck.” Quinn drops her head back and sighs in, relief. She looks back up to find a familiar face, looking down at her with concern.

“Quinn….” It’s Rachel rushing to her side again. She is on her knees, assessing her injuries but nothing bad has really happened. It has been a close call, though. 

“You alright?” Quinn sits up with her help and uses her good hand to cup her face. She is tender and mindful of the red mark on her cheek. 

“It’s a scratch.” Rachel nuzzles her face in her palm and reaches for the hand lying in her lap. It is swollen and red. “Thank you.” She leans in to kiss her when a third voice interrupts them. 

“Ahem.” The tall guy, with broad shoulders and an emotionless face, coughs lightly. 

“Dave.” Quinn looks up at him. 

“You alright?” He holds his hand out and helps her to her feet. “We might need to have that hand checked out.” 

“It’s probably broken, yeah.” Quinn holds it to her chest and turns to the brunette girl beside them. “Can you give us a moment?”

“Yes, of course.” He walks a few feet away, talking to someone in his earphone and keeping a vigilant eye on the guy passed out on the street. 

“You know him?” Rachel sends him a look and then looks at Quinn, who nods softly. 

“Yeah.” Quinn looks down at Rachel. “I wanted to talk to you after you left, two days ago. Tina told me where you were but I thought we had more time…”

“He…” Rachel furrows her brows. “No. You can’t go now.” She grips her by the front of her jacket and pulls her forward. “I didn’t want to leave things like that, Quinn. I was mad.”

“I know, Rach. I know but I have to go.” Quinn leans her forehead against Rachel. She brushes the tip of their noses together. 

“Where? Where are you going?” Rachel’s fingers brush her hair back, to be able to get lost in her eyes. It’s just the two of them. 

“Rachel.” Quinn shakes her head and leans down to kiss her gently. “I will see you again, I promise this won’t be goodbye.”

“How?” Rachel shakes her head. She is not afraid to cry in front of Quinn. She doesn’t really care anymore. 

“I will find you.” Quinn leans up to kiss her forehead and then her closed eyes. She can taste the tears on her lashes. It is the taste that will linger on her lips, when everything else will fall apart around them. 

“Quinn…” Dave nods to the cab pulling up. Their time is up. 

“No.” Rachel holds onto her when she pulls back. “Quinn…” 

“It’s your ride.” Quinn tilts her head upwards with her good hand and she kisses her one more time. She extricates her from her arms and takes a step back. 

That’s her cue.

It’s time to let her go. 

**0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000**

Rachel feels out of place. She is surrounded by pompous politicians and businessmen who are talking about money and the upcoming governors’ elections. She looks around the crowded hall, nursing an empty glass of champagne when Jesse comes to her rescue with a refill and a charming smile that puts her at ease. 

“You look like someone who needs a drink or maybe two.” Jesse winks at her and sips from his own glass, squaring his shoulders. 

“Don’t get me wasted. Imagine the scandal.” She sips from her glass and looks around. There’s no one she really can recognize. No one she cares about getting to know, either. 

“It’s still PR, no? Better than nothing.” He smirks and leaves his empty glass on a table behind him. “Do you think they would try to chat us up, since we are supposed to perform soon. Has Cassie told you anything about what this event is about?”

“I think it’s for kids? Women? No clue, really.” Rachel does the same for her glass. “I am so bad at this.” 

“Miss Berry? Mr. St James?” A third voice comes from their right, almost startling them. 

“Mr. Mayor, what a pleasure to finally meet you.” Jesse holds his hand out for a handshake and Rachel follows, but she gets a kiss on her knuckles instead. 

“Pleasure is all mine, really.” The man stands back up, buttoning his tuxedo. “I am a fan and when Miss July accepted my proposal to have you here, I was simply ecstatic. You’re nominated for your first Tony Award, am I right?”

“Yes, we both are.” Rachel nods. “It’s a pleasure to be here tonight. Anything to help really.”

“I am sure they will appreciate all the support they can have for the Foundation. We aim to raise more than $ 50,000 tonight.” He nods softly. “You’re ready to hit the stage?”

“We’re born ready.” Jesse nudges the brunette woman, who smiles in approval. 

“Great. I will let them know.” He excuses himself to walk to the group of people standing by the temporary stage, in a far corner of the room. 

“Foundation? Do you know which one?” Jesse tries to catch a glimpse of a flyer or a name, but there is nothing around. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight.” The voice comes from the speakers at each corner of the room and it startles them. Rachel looks over at the stage, to see a man in his late 40s or early 50s standing by the microphone in his perfect suit and hair combed back. He is literally perfect. “I know the last time we were gathered here, all together, was to share my intentions to run for Governor and I have been working on my campaign day and night, 24/7, to make this happen. I have been working hard to make it happen for all of you. I want to support you like you’ve been supporting me for all these months and when I will be elected, I will be sure to pay you back for all of it.” He points at them with a winning smile. 

Rachel has seen it many times before but she cannot help but feeling the enthusiasm he is sharing from that stage. 

“But tonight, we need to put it all aside and focus on other things. Tonight, I need your support in something equally important that touches us every day and that, as you may all know, has touched my family very closely.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Tonight, I need your support in raising awareness against Cancer.” 

“Whoa. He is good, isn’t he? Such a politician.” Jesse is sipping from another glass of champagne and she is a little envious. She feels too sober for this.

“My daughter would’ve been 33 today, if she hadn’t lost her battle with cancer. It was too strong and she left us too soon.” He looks to the side of the stage, where a woman in an equally perfect outfit is dabbing the corner of her eyes with a cotton handkerchief. “But her hard work with the Foundation to support the research against this horrible disease won’t be wasted and that’s why we all need your support to keep on fighting. It won’t be easy but together, we can make it.” He raises his fist in the air, earning a loud round of applause and cheers. “Now, without further preamble, please welcome on stage our Mayor.” He claps softly and nods to the other man, who quickly joins him. 

“Thank you.” He pats the blonde’s man on his shoulder. “To make tonight’s events even more memorable and special, we are pleased to have Tony Awards Nominees Rachel Barbra Berry and Jesse St. James performing for us.” He nods towards them and invites them on stage. 

“That’s our cue.” Jesse leads her towards the stage with a hand against her back and his stage smile on. Rachel lets him lead her on stage and once on it, in front of the microphone, she looks at the people surrounding them. 

“Whenever you’re ready.” The Mayor nods to them and stands to the side, ready to leave them the stage. 

“Ready?” Jesse turns to Rachel who adjusts the microphone and looks at him. 

“I-“ Rachel feels ready enough when something catches her eyes. She has to grip the microphone a little tighter, steadying herself. 

It can’t be, can it?


	6. Part 6

**so, here we are with a new chapter. Thanks for your comments...keep them coming**

Part 6

She gets off the stage, surrounded by the loud applause that has been going for minutes now. Jesse is right behind her, with a hand against the small of her back and that perfect smile, plastered on his face. She has no time to look around. She has no time to see if it's her mind playing tricks.

"Miss Berry, am I correct?" The blonde haired man approaches her with what she assumes to be his wife.

"Yes. Rachel Barbra Berry, sir." She holds her hand out and he shakes it firmly.

"Russell Fabray." He nods to Jesse. "Mr. St James, you were both astounding on stage. No wonder our Mayor was so keen to have you both here, for our gathering." He looks over at the silent woman beside him. "My wife, Judy."

"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Fabray." Rachel shakes her hand politely. She has dressed up for the event, but she still feels inadequate compared to the tailored dress the woman is wearing, with shoes as expensive as her last paycheck and jewels that she has always dreamt of.

"You sound like an angel, Miss Berry. I am sure Francine would've simply loved it." Judy brushes her thumb along the corner of her eyes. It is almost imperceptible, but Rachel catches it anyway.

"I am sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Fabray." She nods softly.

"As a parent, you never wish to bury your own child but when it happens, you can only trust God to have had a better plan for all of us. He knows it all." Russell does a quick cross and nods, staring above their heads.

"How can we contribute to support the Foundation?" Rachel looks over at Jesse, wearing a scolded look for his words. She knows he is really not agreeing with him, but they can't surely make a scene and ruin their evening. They were professional singers.

"You did enough, dear." Judy steps up, nodding to her husband.

"I insist." Rachel reaches for her purse to grab her checks. "Anything can help, really."

"That's admirable, Miss Berry, but we are not really the ones in charge now." Russell looks around and raises his hand in a light wave, motioning for someone else to join them. "My campaign is really my top priority."

"Of course." Jesse snickers beside her and she is quick to nudge him with her elbow.

"Lucy!" Judy walks past Rachel and when she turns, she feels her breath catch in her throat again. So it was not her mind playing tricks, when she was on that stage. It wasn't a ghost from her past.

"Shit." Jesse curses behind her, having finally got why Rachel has almost missed her cue on their song. Rachel Berry would've never messed it up.

"Lucy, meet Miss Berry and Mr. St James, correct?" Judy turns to Jesse who can only nod.

"You were both outstanding." Quinn is standing in front of her and she looks the same, but so different at the same time. Gone are the oxford shirts, the jeans or the simple dresses. Gone is the tousled hair. Gone is the simple make-up. Gone is the honesty in her smile. Gone is Quinn, replaced by Lucy.

"Thank you, Miss Fabray." Rachel keeps her hands down. She is not trusting herself with touching Quinn, even for a simple handshake.

"Dear, they want to contribute to the campaign. Can you take care of it?" Russell's voice is not stern but it feels like a command.

"Of course, Father." Quinn nods shortly. "I'll take care of it."

"Great. I saw William and we have a couple things to discuss." Russell holds his arm out for Judy to slip through hers, walking away.

"I'll go fetch a glass or two." Jesse kisses the side of her head temple and walks away, nodding to Quinn.

"Do you take checks?" Rachel rummages through her purse and Quinn steps closer, stopping her with a hand.

"Rachel, let me explain." Quinn leans down enough to be heard, as she lowers her voice.

"I'll leave the name blank, okay? Is it $ 2,000 enough?" She looks up at the blonde, but she has to look away unable to match the intensity of her gaze.

"Rachel, can we go talk somewhere?" She tries again but the brunette takes a step back and holds the check out for her, with her hand. Quinn sighs and just takes it. She takes it and lets her fingers linger on the inside of her wrist, caressing her skin slowly.

"There you are, I was looking for you honey." A blonde man, in a dark blue suit, appears out of nowhere and circles Quinn's waist from behind. "Oh hello there." His eyes settle on Rachel, who has both arms wrapped around herself.

"Sam, this is Miss Berry." Quinn looks at the brunette, who is clearly avoiding her gaze.

"You're the talented Broadway singer. Quinn talked my ears off about your talent and I must say she was right about that." He pulls her closer by the waist and drops a kiss against the side of her head.

"Thank you…" Rachel trails off.

"Samuel Evans, call me Sam." He grins at her in a charming way. If she hadn't been so caught up with Quinn, she would have probably swooned. He was good looking and had a smile that could make any girl drop at his feet. Too bad the girl she wants is one of those.

"You're part of the family?" Rachel gulps. She is bracing herself for it, really. She can see it by the way he is holding her close. By the way his hand trails along her hip and his lips find her head. By the way he stares down at her.

"Not yet, but we set a date." He chuckles. "Right, babe?"

"Right." Quinn keeps looking at her. She keeps staring at her with her big beautiful sad eyes, that scream 'sorry'.

"Congratulations are in order, I guess." Rachel nods shortly. "You make a great couple."

"Thank you. We should toast to that." Sam waves a waiter over and grabs three glasses, one for each girl and one for himself.

"What are we toasting to?" Jesse chooses that moment to come to Rachel's rescue and save her from just storming out of it, too heartbroken to even think straight. "Jesse St. James." He holds his hand out for Sam.

"Samuel Evans." The blonde guy shakes it firmly and looks down at Quinn, who is busy staring down at her heels. "You alright, hon?"

"A bit of a headache. Too much champagne, I guess." She sets her glass down. "We should go find your Father."

"Yes, he probably has collected some more money." Sam half downs his glass and turns to the two brunette singers. "Enjoy the rest of the party."

"We will." Jesse speaks for the two of them. Rachel is too busy with boring holes in Quinn's head, as she spins around and walks away without another word, with Sam right behind.

"Can we go home?" Rachel pleads him when Quinn simply disappears through the crowd. She has seen enough to last her a lifetime.

0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000

She doesn't remember everything that has happened once she gets home. She doesn't remember the sobs wrecking her body or the way she has hugged a pillow to her chest, crying into it and freeing herself of all the pain in her chest. She doesn't remember all of that but she remembers waking up to a loud and incessant knocking against her front door.

For a moment, she thinks it must be a dream. For a moment, she lies still and waits for it until it happens again. She realizes it's not a dream when the knock is louder and she doesn't want to hear a complaint from her neighbors.

"Who is it?" Rachel mutters to herself. It's 3:13 AM and someone is standing on her doormat, urging her to open. Despite it being a safe neighborhood and building, she stretches on her tiptoes to check the other side. What she finds there, makes her heart throb.

"Rachel?" Quinn's voice is muffled by the door. She is soft and barely louder than a whisper but she has heard her.

"What do you want?" She rests her forehead against the door and both hands are placed there, bracing herself on it. "What do you want, Quinn?"

"See you. I need to see you." Quinn does the same. She feels her closer. It's almost like Rachel can feel her, despite the door.

"Go away." Rachel sniffles and punches the door. She does it again but Quinn doesn't leave. She is still there.

"Open the door. 5 minutes." Quinn is the one begging. "5 seconds if you want. Anything."

Rachel is tempted to just leave her there and go back to bed, but she is a bigger temptation, really. How can she resist her? She has been on her mind for days and tonight has just made it worse. She wipes her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and unlocks the door, expecting Quinn to drop head first in but she stands there, in front of her.

"You saw me." Rachel has her arms crossed over her chest. "You can leave now."

"Okay." Quinn steps forward and Rachel steps back. She is meant to hold her ground but she just lets the blonde in. She takes another step back to allow her to close the door behind them.

"I am serious, Quinn." Rachel fixes her with a glare. "You should leave."

"I know." Quinn takes a tentative step forward, until they are just less than a feet apart from each other. Rachel can smell her familiar perfume. She can smell the cigarettes lingering on her breath.

"Lucy Quinn Fabray. L Q F." Rachel chuckles humorlessly. "Of course it was something trivial like your name, but I didn't know your full name until a couple of hours ago."

"I never denied that, but I don't feel like a Fabray." Quinn pushes her hair back, behind her ears.

"But you are, right? That's one of the promises you have to honor. Your family name and your Father's campaign." She scoffs. "For a moment I thought you were part of the mob or something along those lines. Why couldn't you tell me who your Father is? Why keep it secret?"

"Do you know who my Father really is, Rachel? Do you know what his beliefs are and how I was raised?" She raises an eyebrow in challenge. "From where I come from, what we have been doing is a sin. It's a sin against God."

"So? You're not the first one to go against those stupid beliefs." Rachel runs a hand through her hair. "I'm a bisexual woman raised by two men in a small town in Ohio. Do you think I wouldn't have understood where you come from? How were you raised to be? I was raised with people thinking my Dads were sinners who deserved hell."

"You don't get it, yet. My Father's campaign cannot be affected by my choices, okay? Do you think his competitors won't use this against him? I cannot let him down now. Nobody cared too much before." She sighs and undoes the button of her coat. "It's different now."

"Why?" Rachel shakes her head.

"Because I am the only daughter they have left. When Frannie was here, I didn't need to be in the spotlight. She took that spot and she was perfect for it." She looks away. "Sometimes, I feel like they regret I am the one who is still alive."

"That's a horrible thought, Quinn. Your parents love you." Rachel wants to reach out and comfort her, but she can't.

"It's true, though. I can see the disapproval in their eyes. I took over because it is what I am supposed to do, but they don't like it as much as I dislike this whole thing." Quinn sighs.

"Is the engagement to Mr. Evans part of it or were you ever going to tell me? I am not a home-wrecker." She hugs herself a little more.

"It's not what it looks like." Quinn steps forward and Rachel lets her. "I...We…"

"Let me guess, you can't tell me about it?" Rachel shakes her head and moves past Quinn to get to the door and escort her out, but the blonde grabs her by the waist as she passes by.

She finds herself pinned to the door, with her back to it, and Quinn stands there, in front of her, with the other arm by her head.

"I almost ruined my Father's career once and I can't let it happen again. I just can't…" Quinn looks down into Rachel's eyes.

"Then, you should go back to your future husband, don't you think?" Rachel presses her hands against her chest and pushes her off. "He'll wonder where you are."

"Rachel." Quinn pulls her along. With each push, the blonde pulls her in until they stand nose to nose and foreheads touching. "You were simply breathtaking tonight." She whispers against her lips and Rachel is tempted to close the distance between their lips. She has missed her lips so much.

"Cassie chose that dress for me. You should thank her." She fists the lapels of her jacket.

"I am talking about your performance, but I will send her a note." Quinn tilts her head backwards to drop a soft kiss against the corner of her lips.

"Quinn…" She holds onto her a little tighter. She holds her tight enough, hoping she gets that she wants her to stay.

"Goodnight, Rachel." Quinn leans up on her tiptoes to press a kiss between her brows. She kisses it lingeringly and slips out of her arms, heading for the door before Rachel realizes she is now hugging air.

0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000

"Heard you have made quite the impression with your performance, huh?" Cassie relaxes in the armchair behind her desk and props her feet on the table, smirking.

"Which one?" Rachel smirks at her, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"You're confident, Schwimmer. Where's the Ohio girl who was scared of her own shadow?" Cassie reaches for a glass and pours herself some whiskey.

"Back in Ohio, there's no place in New York for her." She takes the offered glass and drinks from it. She swallows hard, feeling it burn down her throat. "I'll never get how you all like this thing so much."

"Me and who else?" Cassie drops her feet and leans forward, interested in the sudden revelation. "Who are you hiding from me, Berry? It's not St. James. God knows we don't need an evil spawn with your genes."

"Jesse and I have a great chemistry and why wouldn't we make a good couple? Broadway loves us." Rachel sits the glass down.

"'Cause you're too predictable and too similar. It's good to sell a show or maybe two, but we need something better to take you to the next level." Cassie grabs a magazine and throws it her way. "You know him?"

"Brody Weston? Why is that name familiar?" Rachel goes through the magazine. More shots of the guy with different girls fill the pages.

"He is the new heartthrob of the moment, you know? Guy knows what he's doing for sure." Cassie winks at her.

"Cassie, no. You know I don't like these things ok?" She pushes the magazine aside. "I don't want to be another of the nameless girls on his bedpost. You'll find someone else."

"It's you, Berry. Remember that audition for the new tv show, from a couple of weeks ago?" Cassie nods. "It turns out he did too and you two are going to be the stars of this new show."

"Won't just it be too obvious? The two leads dating while their characters do the same on screen?" Rachel shakes her head.

"True that, but people simply love that. They live for these on and off-screen romances." Cassie shrugs. "Plus, you've got someone else waiting for you at home?"

"No." Rachel wants to add 'not anymore'. But was Quinn going to ever wait for her? Was it ever going to be more than amazing sex? Maybe she has imagined it all. It was a temporary thing, nothing else. "Is that all?"

"Wait…" Cassie rummages for her small planner. "I need you to drop by the Fabray Foundation,next week."

"The Fabray Foundation? What for?" She sighs. She will never move on, will she?

"They're raising awareness against Cancer with a new campaign and they want young talented women to be the face of their campaign. Didn't I say you made an impression?" Cassie winks at her. "It's a good pay for a photoshoot."

"Okay, I'll show up." Rachel stands. "Is that all?"

"Get out of my sight, Schwimmer." She shoos her away and grabs her phone for her usual round of calls.

0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000

This is her first table read. She is used to being on Broadway but it is not that different, if she doesn't count the flashes of the cameras when she has entered the production studios and the fact there is no stage where to stand. It's her and a camera following her around, around New York.

They're done after a couple of hours. It's been just an introduction to the show. It's just been an opportunity to meet the cast and the crew. To meet the writers and the producers.

"Rachel, right?" Brody catches up with her as they walk back to the parking lot, to their cars. It's one of the most reserved areas, away from the prying eyes and the cameras waiting for them at the entrance.

"Yes, that's me." She lifts her sunglasses over the top of her head and shakes his offered hand.

"What did you think? Sounds pretty exciting, no?" He reaches in the pocket of his jacket to retrieve a cigarette and light it up. "Want one?"

"No, I don't smoke." Rachel takes a step back. She's never understood the appeal, really. She's never liked the smell either, safe for some exceptions. The only exception.

"So, how do you want to do this? We get in my car or I get in yours?" Brody nods to her silver Prius.

"Do what?" She is puzzled.

"The whole fake romance thing. I know we've just met, but maybe we could go ahead right? I get in your car and we're papped leaving together. We don't have to do anything but drive away, together." Brody flicks the cigarette away.

"Right, the PR stunt. I guess I can give you a lift? What about your car?" She nods to his black Porsche. "Shouldn't we use that?"

"This would look more genuine. You're really not oke of those girls who fall for a pretty car, aren't you?" He winks at her and walks past her to reach the passenger door.

"Where should I drop you?" Rachel rounds the car and unlocks it, slipping behind the wheel.

"My place. I'll have someone come get my car later." He fastens his seatbelt and adjusts the seat to fit in. "You never thought of doing an upgrade?" He nods around.

"I like it. It's not like I use it that much anyway." She buckles up and turns it on, backing away from her parking lot. "It's NYC and driving here is usually a nightmare."

"True, but once you're out of the city, the highway feels so much better in something like that." He points to his car as they drive by it. "Smile ok? Ignore them." He nods as they reach the entrance.

"You're an expert huh?" She relaxes herself enough to put a genuine smile on her face. It is not huge but big enough to sell it. She doesn't slow down for the cameras or the questions around them. She simply pulls in the street, sure they have gotten enough pics of them together.

"You get used to it, once you learn the tricks to survive. It can be overwhelming at first, but they're doing their jobs and so are we." He gives her directions. "It's part of the game and we have to play by the rules."

"Were you playing by the rules last Xmas? You sent one of them to the E.R." She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Stalking my family isn't playing by the rules. My sister was harassed by a guy who wanted to know about my latest romance and I saw red. They can harass me but my family is out of this." He runs a hand through his hair. "She wasn't even here."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She nods in understanding.

"So, maybe we can go for lunch tomorrow? We have an early shooting and lunch break is usually in the area. My treat." Brody nods for her to stop.

"I guess we can…" She stops the car and looks over at him.

"Great. I'll give a heads-up to my team, you should call yours." He winks at her and slips out. He pats the hood of the car and leaves Rachel to her thoughts.


End file.
